Inner Voice
by RoyalMoonGoddess
Summary: Cloud Strife has a secret- he can speak to Gods. Being tailed by a hyperactive best friend (and investigated by the 3 most prestigious men in SOLDIER) can make running errands for deities kinda hard. Minerva have mercy. Eventual ASGZC.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy series is not mine, and I make no financial gains by use of the property.

* * *

For as long as he could remember, Cloud had been able to speak with Gods. It started with vague voices, distant and nonsensical, usually occurring when he was alone and at peace. At age six he encountered the voice of the famed God native to the mountains around him, Nibel. At the time, Cloud had been tracking an animal that had eaten some of his Mother's kale. He had ventured much too far into the woods nearby, and it was fast approaching dark. Carefully scanning the blanket of snow and foliage, Cloud cautiously felt something welling inside of him. He sat with his back against an old, strong oak tree. His breathing became slow and steady, and a sudden lightheadedness made this moment akin to a dreamscape.

 _You cross paths with those unseemly._

Clutching onto consciousness and these strange words, Cloud closed his eyes. Despite being young, he intuitively knew this voice was not being heard from his ears. He knew this voice had spoken to him before, and he was never able to understand the words.

 _The darkness is rising, and you must take shelter._

In a sudden shiver of panic, young Cloud recognized that he had strayed far from the path. He couldn't recall how long he had been tracking, what direction he had set himself on, or where the sun was last showing its rays. Cobalt eyes opened to the sky; it was a blank sheet of dark grey. The wild beasts hadn't made appearances for hours, and he knew the wolves reigned the land beyond his town. He strained his ears for the dew birds his mother had pointed out to him years before.

"…ip!...ip!"

Cloud knew the signs. A blizzard was coming. The blond boy stood, brushed the snow off his legs, as well as the voice he heard a mere minute ago, and took off at a dead run in the direction he thought he came from. The skeleton trees blurred together as he looked desperately for the light of his town, not acknowledging an innate fear that this way was the wrong one. Small feet created holes in the snow large enough to delay his speed, and Cloud could not stop tears from gathering and falling.

 _Seek the bramble, young one._

Bramble? Bramble bushes? Cloud peered left and right until he spotted a knot of brown in the otherwise white terrain. The blizzard had come during the mad dash for home, and it seemed the storm was close. Taking a moment to turn up his tan hood, Cloud pushed his arms over his eyes and headed toward the bush. It was thorny, and wouldn't bear flowers until early spring, but it was most certainly bramble. Beyond it laid a vast whiteness that Cloud couldn't see past. Dejectedly, he sat down and allowed frustration and fear to overwhelm him.

 _If you give in to your failures and your fears, you will never find home._

'I want to go home', the young boy responded, 'I want to go home and I don't know the way.'

 _I have shown you the way._

Cloud scanned the vastness once again, seeing absolutely nothing. 'There's nothing there.'

 _That you can see. Go forward and you will find home._

Suddenly, the lightheadedness was gone and the presence curiously absent. The result was like waking from a bad dream. In a burst of courage and stubbornness, Cloud trekked straight into the dark. The determined boy pushed himself until he slammed straight into something hard. In confusion and light irritation, he raised his hand to the object. It was flat and felt like wet wood. Brows furrowing, his hands followed the structure around a bend.

Torches were lit in the town square, and a group of men were doing their best to keep them lit. Miss Lindra scurried from the general store, where she worked, to the town's only inn. It also seemed to be the only building with power, judging from the lights he could see inside.

He was home.

When he hurried into the warm arms of his relieved mother, no time was wasted in relaying the epic adventure that had taken place. There were some embellishments here and there, but he kept the voice's instructions the same.

"He saved me Mom! I wouldn't have known where to go without his advice."

Slowly stirring a beef stew on the stove, Cloud's Mother took a few moments to process her son's story.

"Cloud, please get me the bundled rosemary."

Sighing, Cloud climbed atop the counter and looked up at the drying herbs. Which was which? He grabbed one and sniffed it, immediately recognizing it as lavender. He recalled rosemary being more leafy and less flowery. He picked a small, long leaf from a branch and inhaled. Rosemary.

"Here." Cloud offered the bundle to his mother. She quietly took it and began breaking a few leaves with a mortar and pestle. "Mom," Cloud started again, "…what do you think?" Mrs. Strife smiled briefly at the boy and added the ingredient to her broth.

"I think you were visited by the God Nibel," She tapped his nose affectionately, "Generations ago, our family used to worship him and keep his shrine. He was said to negotiate with the snow goddess Kaguya whenever there was a snowstorm in our town's path. The prayers of our town would wake Nibel and send him on a journey to redirect the storm. That's why the dew birds chirp even though they are in the midst of a blizzard; they have a pact with him. Could you get some more wood for the stove?"

Huffing at the interruption, Cloud picked up branches from the spare counter and threw them into the fire. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Cloud turned back to his mother, "So others have heard him too?" His mother chuckled at his wide-eyed expression.

"No, but if there were anyone here worthy enough to hear him, it would be you."

* * *

He was late. He was late and his commander was going to kill him. Spiky blond hair was hurriedly brushed down by glove-clad hands as he rounded yet another corner, thankful no one had been there to discipline him for running in the halls. Running was replaced by awkward hopping as he, rather ungracefully, maneuvered a ShinRa authorized cadet boot onto a bare foot. If he kept running, he could make it to his 5am endurance training.

"Spikey!"

Fuck.

"Spike! Hey, slow down!" A hand tugged at the scruff of his uniform, effectively driving him backwards and into a warm, and rather unwanted, man hug. "What's up? I haven't seen ya' in a minute."

Cloud, trying his hardest to exercise patience, gently removed himself from his best friend, "Zack, I would love to talk right now, but I'm going to be late for endurance."

The First Class barely had a chance to open his mouth before Cloud went speeding down the hallway. Standing in the quiet building allowed him a few seconds of reflection. As of late, his cadet had been, what? Distracted? Tired? MIA? He had always suspected Cloud was hiding something, but the past few weeks had been beyond suspicious.

He'd caught him in Angeal's garden last week, just sitting there. He waited in confusion for ten minutes before realizing that Cloud wasn't going to do anything interesting any time soon. A few days before that, he had gone to the blond's barracks only to hear that he'd been gone for hours the night prior and came back looking worse for wear. He'd taken off at the crack of dawn again, confusing his bunk mates. As his best friend, that information made Zack uneasy. Just yesterday, he'd tried to corner Cloud after lunch. Cloud had obviously seen him, but made of show of pretending not to before slipping out the back doors of the cafeteria. What was going on?

"Don't think too hard, puppy. You'll hurt yourself. Are you feeling blue? " Commander Rhaspodos clasped a hand on Zack's shoulder, "Do you want me to ask Angeal for your favorite squeaky toy?" He drawled out in a husky, yet unmistakably patronizing tone.

The effect was immediate.

"Get away from me, Genesis," irritated blue eyes snapped at him, "I'm not in the mood." He headed in Cloud's direction, fully intent on spying on his secretive cadet and ignoring his mentor's poor choice of a best friend.

He was getting tired of this place.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy series is not mine, and I make no financial gains by use of the property.

* * *

It was somewhere around eleven that Cloud began to feel eyes on the back of his neck. Maybe it was anxiety, maybe it was delirium, but he found himself taking precautions. Reflective surfaces were discreetly scanned while he walked down the hallway. His ears strained to detect footfalls behind him. When rounding corners, he paused to see who would emerge. It got so ridiculous that he began to think he was hallucinating. It would make sense, as he had but three hours of sleep the night before. So obsessed was he that it was getting harder and harder to focus on his classes.

"STRIFE! DON'T MAKE ME REGRET HANDING YOU THAT GUN!"

Flushing a bit from the jab, Cloud took to his weapon with renewed awareness. If someone was following him, it had to be an accident. The steps he took to hide his 'other job' were both time consuming and well-planned. No way. No one could have followed him.

But what if they did?

He entertained this thought as he refocused his weapon. Who would have that much interest in him? What would they think he was doing?

Thoughts circling, he vaguely pushed at the trigger of his gun. With a sigh, the overworked cadet watched as his bullet hit the target perfectly. For the first time.

"Ohmygod. OhmygodIdidit," The shocked cadet slurred.

 _You called?_

"Nice work Strife!"

Torn between a voice in his head and that of his commander, Cloud opted for the safe route, "Sir! Thank you Sir!"

Commander Wilson was nice enough, at least much friendlier than some of his other instructors. He clasped a hand on Cloud's shoulder with a smirk, "Now let's see you do it again."

 _Cloud?_

Oh he was going to have a panic attack. Taking a deep breath, he hoisted the rifle onto his shoulder. In vain, he attempted to shoo the voice in his head away. He paused for a bit before he realized that Wilson wasn't going to leave, and he had to shoot this damn thing now.

"Come on, Strife. I don't have all day."

 _Have you done what I've asked yet? It's only 2 days till the Autumn Equinox._

Right then, in the midst of his curious peers, he committed cadet sin.

He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Midgar wasn't quite what he had anticipated.

Worn and weary, Cloud surveyed the city he had dreamed of for years. All green neon and smoke stacks, all starless and alive, it was truly worlds away from his home. Leaning back on the precarious ledge of ShinRa Headquarters, he couldn't help but love and hate it.

"Heard about the gun thing."

Wearing a rather sardonic grin, Cloud glanced back at the new arrival, "It's in your business to know. I'm sure you and your Turk buddies had a good laugh at my expense."

Collapsing onto the ledge with a sigh, Reno waited to respond. It was like this sometimes. He was a man of carefully chosen words, despite common opinion. A few peaceful minutes breezed by before he breathed, "Did it have anything to do with your _friends_?"

"What makes you think that?"

"It's almost always that, man."

Cloud watched silently as a helicopter landed on a nearby building, and imagined what it was like to be able to come and go on your own. It would make his tasks so much easier.

"Yo," Reno abruptly quipped, "I'ma get one of those eventually."

Cloud winced and sucked in a breath, "You'd kill everyone."

"I would not!"

"I'm never going to get in one with you."

"Yo what the hell strife. I was about to say you'd be the first one to ride with me!" Reno exclaimed, getting to his feet.

"I refuse."

"Aw. Whatever Soldier Boy."

Making a big show of yawning and stretching, the red head looked out to the vista once more, "I'm off."

"Alright. Goodnight Reno."

"Night Cloud."

Just before the Turk opened the door to the stairwell, he gave Cloud's back a considering look.

"I'm going to figure it out one day Cloud."

The cadet stubbornly held his gaze to the city, despite the pounding in his chest. He waited for Reno to say more, but nothing else followed. Cloud turned his head to find himself alone once more. He felt both relief and loneliness.

"Carpo. I summon thee."

 _No need for such formality_

"It is better than accidentally summoning you when I'm shooting a dangerous weapon."

 _I regret distracting you, but how could I have possibly known the difference?_

Inwardly sighing, Cloud blocked out the stresses of his day and the concerns shuffling about his head. He envisioned what Carpo felt like most: falling leaves, overcast evenings, light rain and cinnamon. He was walking through a dense forest of gold and brown, felt the wind nip at the back of his neck, saw his breath steaming in front of him. The trees waved gently, sounding like running water in a stream.

"It's beautiful here."

"Of course it is! It's the best season, you know."

He turned to find Carpo in all her glory. Amber eyes alight with happiness, she took Cloud's hand, "Let's go for a stroll."

As they walked, Cloud noticed creatures of all kinds. Squirrels jumped from branch to branch, crows cawed overhead. A brown, meowing cat came to rub Carpo's leg with a purring cheek. He breathed in deep, wishing his reality was as gentle and wild as this one. Maybe joining ShinRa had been a mistake. It had seemed like a small step in a much bigger plan, but he had immediately reached a plateau upon joining. Had he been reading the signs wrong?

"I don't think so. All things come to pass for a just reason."

Sparing a glance at Carpo, he muttered, "Can you stop spying?"

"It's not spying if you're in my mind, Cloud."

"Well it's quite the opposite most of the time."

"It wouldn't have to be if you just did what I asked."

With a growing annoyance, Cloud halted in his tracks and took Carpo's hands into his own, "I don't know how to get the things you need. These names you need me to find, nobody knows them. I've asked all of my professors, consulted multiple antique shop vendors. I've exhausted all of my options. "

Carpo ran a slender hand through her waist-length, auburn hair, "Have you checked any libraries?"

A crow cawed.

"Why didn't you tell me to look in a library?!"

"Cloud," The goddess sighed, "How could you not have checked any books? If there were to be any record surely it would lie in text."

Cloud absentmindedly brushed a leaf from his hair. How could he have missed such a simple solution? "I'm sorry. This was an oversight. There's a library somewhere in ShinRa; I've heard of it. I'll hit the books as soon as I can."

Carpo gave him a gentle smile, a not so gentle push, and suddenly he was atop the ShinRa tower once more. It was late, and he was certain it was close to curfew. Hopping to his feet, he thanked his lucky stars that curfew was more of a recommendation than a punishable requirement. No one really cared if cadets came home.

Autopilot feet took him straight to the ground floor, where he vaguely recalled hearing about a library. The invigorated cadet perused down random hallways to try his luck, and down one of them was an oak door. Frowning a bit in confusion, Cloud took tally of all the other doors he had seen in the building. All of them had been metal, and very occasionally old wood, but this door…

"Why?" Cloud cautiously asked the door, gloved hand gently resting on its stain glass front, "What makes you so special?"

"Are you lost?" A voice asked from behind him.

Cloud turned to find none other than General Sephiroth. Stunned, he opened his mouth and lied, "Yes. Yes, Sir! Sorry Sir!"

Taking in Cloud's uniformed state, and his crisp salute, the general waved him down.

"To get to the main lobby, turn this corner, then round the next. There should be a door on your right that will take you there."

Laughing nervously, Cloud slurred, "Thankssir" before taking off in a run. Gazing after him, the general furrowed his brows and turned his eyes toward the door, feeling unease. Dismissing himself, the man walked hurriedly to a different, much plainer door down the main hallway.

"It took you long enough, Seph," He heard as he entered the room, "You were about to miss the best part."

The library was empty, save for Angeal, Genesis and himself. He took a seat next to Angel on the couch, sighing in defeat, "I was busy, Genesis."

Recovering quickly from the interruption, Genesis began to recite from Loveless once more. Sephiroth listened passively, torn between supporting his best friend's first attempt to audition for a local play, and between his run in with the suspicious cadet.

Angeal learned toward him and mouthed a concerned, "You okay?"

He waved dismissively, fully intending on giving his full attention to his nervous best friend. That door was just a door, and the cadet just a cadet. He settled back into his seat before mouthing, "How long?" to Angeal.

Angeal gave him a sympathetic look and mouthed back, "Two hours."

Well. Maybe he'd consider his last train of thought a bit more.


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: Hello! I just wanted to let everyone know that I am going to take liberties with this universe. Meaning, I may add characters in that did not previously exist, or change some aspects of the SOLDIER program. A lot of mythology is going to be improvised, so please expect some motley assortment of religious ritual. Thank you for your support and for reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned below, just this writing about them.

* * *

He had approximately 22 hours to find what Carpo needed.

Cloud shuffled though the pile of old, dusty books that were once neatly stacked. No, he wasn't freaking out. It had only been 4 hours. It's normal to spend that long looking up two unknown names for the pushy deity in his head. It'll be fine.

As he picked up yet another anthology of old Gaian myths, he heard the door open.

The library had been rather hard to find. After asking the nice receptionist in the lobby and watching her call five departments to track it down, Cloud began to think that the rumored library was, in fact, just a rumor. To his relief, Receptionist Alice had pulled though and drawn him a very crude, yet very effective map. The experience assured him that he'd have free reign of the room, alone.

Boots tapped at the old wooden floor. They paused. Cloud held his breath.

The door closed, and the feet began to move again.

Slow exhale. The cadet wasn't sure if he should be hiding or not. What would some random official from ShinRa infer from a cadet reading in the library? If worse came to worst, he could play the lonesome, studious, no-where-else-to-go-on-a-Friday-night card. Cloud relaxed his muscles and turned his attention to the book in his hands. Peaceful minutes flowed by, and soon he was focused entirely on the task at hand.

He held most of the pages in his right hand, which allowed for quick scanning and quiet page turning. He wasn't interested in Shiva, or Ifrit, or Ultima. Why were summons involved in a book of deities? He didn't have time to wonder. He looked for symbols and Carpo's name and absolutely anything that could be related to his quest. No dice.

Next book.

"When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end,

The goddess descends from the sky."

Cloud paused mid-reach.

"Wings of light and dark spread afar

She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting."

He stayed perfectly still, perfectly silent, as he heard the voice trail off to a tense silence. Something vague and distant brightened in his mind. A dream, a memory, something. He anxiously waited for the rich, airy voice to continue with his reading, but the library stayed stagnant.

He was half-tempted to peer over the shelves and get a look at the ShinRa official, or at least the material he was reading. But no, he had a job to do. Carpo was relying on him.

Cloud carefully sifted through the remaining books in his pile. Sitting on the hard ground for so long was making his butt hurt, and his eyes were starting to strain for the effort of reading in a partially lit room. In the midst of complaining (in his head, where Carpo could hear), Cloud happened upon what he needed. He looked at it once, disbelievingly. He scanned the cover and looked up for a few seconds, in a daze, and took another gander at the text before him.

Yeah. This was it.

Ungloved fingers traced the intricate, looping patterns across the page. It was faded, and sketched with an older, brown ink. When he brought his finger back up, he noticed some of it had rubbed onto his skin. Three women danced in what he thought was a meadow. One woman, with long hair and a flowing dress, was surrounded by flowers. Her head was tilted to the sky, which contained a few clouds and birds. The next woman wore a small dress and was dancing with glowing stuff around her. Fireflies, maybe. The sun was bright above her. The last woman…

Carpo. He knew. It was her.

Joy and accomplishment filled him. Finally.

 _You found it?! You really, truly did?_

He silently affirmed, fully conscious of the poet in the room.

 _Well, what are their names? Tell me quickly, Cloud!_

Cloud's smile dropped when he saw the text. It was in another language.

This was bullshit.

Beyond done with sitting on the floor and being fooled, Cloud decided he was going to steal the book. Was it considered stealing if people called it a library? Whatever, it didn't matter.

 _Cloud? What's happening?_

He summoned enough strength to send back a 'I'm not done, sorry', before gingerly rising to his feet. He stretched while trying to decide if he should put the books away or not. Tomorrow. He'll come back tomorrow, when everything was taken care of.

The cadet peered through the rows of books, surveying the room.

No one on the couch, or the armchair.

He walked to the end of the aisle, taking in the entryway.

Nothing.

There was no one here. Was he so enraptured with his books that he didn't notice the poet leave? Cloud worriedly bit the inside of his cheek, before taking careful strides to the door.

He slowly grasped the handle and pulled. It squeaked.

As he stood frozen at the front door, he was reminded of the moments he built up in his mind as a child. When it felt like someone was watching you and you felt the need to be quiet, even though no one was around. He could talk to Gods, but he could never figure out what those moments were. Overactive imagination? Pent-up anxiousness? Stress?

Whatever it was, it was back with a vengeance.

 _It's okay Cloud. Listen to my voice._

He felt a wave of relief at the Goddesses' presence.

 _Open the door, Cloud. Do it in one go, and then run._

What?

 _GO_

The sensation was back and he was afraid. Clammy hands grasped the brass knob, and suddenly he was out. By the time he regained himself, he was down the hallway. His breath came out in heaving gasps as he rested his hands on his knees.

 _Sorry Cloud. I just really needed you to get out of the room._

Why?

 _You were acting childish, and it was just a dark room. I need you to finish your task soon._

He felt anger and disdain.

 _Please, Cloud. You're the only one who can help me._

Cloud sighed. She was genuine, and he was being silly. At least he had made ample progress.

He set the book on his hip, feeling his heartbeat slow. Turning to walk toward the main lobby, something caught his eye.

The oak door.

It appeared that he had barely missed the library that first night. Decidedly walking out the hallway, he promised himself to investigate it later on, when everything was sorted out. For now, he had some obscure, ancient text to translate on his own. A glance at the clock above the secluded information desk confirmed his worst fears. It was 1 AM, and he only had 15 hours left.

* * *

"Pumpkin Spice Latte, Please."

"What size?"

"The biggest you have. I'm going to need it."

The barista giggled at his ruffled state, "Coming back from a party?"

Cloud smiled and accepted his change, "Yep. A rager." She giggled again, and then turned to work on his order. It was nice talking to real people.

 _Hey. Watch it._

Smirking, his eyes narrowed in on a window seat near the back of the café. It was perfect, and he was going to be here for a while. He took a seat, shed his coat, and scanned over the book again. With normal clothes on instead of his uniform, and the promise of a latte on the way, Cloud felt much invigorated.

First, he was going to look at each page. It was entirely possible that he had missed something in the dim lighting. Second, he was going to look at the weird words on Carpo's page and locate her name. Third, he was going to break into Zack's apartment and use his computer.

"One pumpkin spice latte, for the partier."

Cloud jumped a little, "O-oh. Yeah, thanks."

"Whatcha reading?" The barista asked, leaning on the circular table and looking at the old book.

"Uh. It's an old book of tales."

The barista clicked her tongue and pointed to the intricate text, "Can you read that?"

Cloud was starting to get suspicious and a little irritated, "No. I'm trying to, though."

She smiled and took a seat across from him, "I can read it."

The cadet stared at her, "You can."

She smiled wider, "I can, but I can't just give something for nothing."

Cloud considered the statement before reaching into his back pocket, "Name your price. I'm warning you though, I'm super poor."

"One date please."

"…"

 _I like her._

"Shut up," Cloud muttered to Carpo.

"Excuse me?" The barista asked, appalled.

"Nonono, I'm sorry. I was talking to myself. I do that sometimes."

"Cute. Will you accept my offer or not?"

"I accept, but again, super poor here. I won't be able to take you out somewhere fancy."

The barista giggled, "That's fine. My name is Rikku, what's yours?"

"Cloud. Now, could you please translate this for me? I have a deadline to meet."

Rikku nodded and pulled the book toward her, "It's a really rare find, you know. How did you get your hands on it?"

"It's been in my family for a long time. We wanted to appraise it, so we need to know what's in it before the guy comes tomorrow." He watched her take out a writing pad and start to scribble the words down. Was she fluent or something?

"An appraiser should be able to recognize the language family, but probably wouldn't be able to translate. You're lucky you stumbled into this café when you did."

As she brushed away some bangs from her eyes, Cloud became very aware of the fact that he was being watched. He looked outside, quickly.

Zack.

Their eyes met and Cloud could not summon the strength to smile or wave. Zack looked…serious. He mentally checked the most recent conversations he'd had with his best friend, and yes, he had said he would be busy on Friday. Why did he say he was busy? Which excuse did he use that time?

"Cloud? I'm finished."

He tore his gaze away from the soldier outside the window and back to Rikku, "Are you? That's great!"

She tore the pages out of her notepad and gave it to him, "I put my number at the top. Call me whenever. Who knows, if you need me to translate the whole book we may end up dating long-term."

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, feeling a small bit of pride at being flirted with so openly, "In that case, I'll go find some more books."

As soon as she left, he looked back out the window. No Zack. In sudden realization, Cloud remembered the excuse he gave to his friend.

"oh no," Cloud whimpered and put his head in his hands.

He told Zack that he'd be training. Zack would be double suspicious of everything he would say from here on out. God Dammit. Cloud rose from his seat and sullenly made his way back to ShinRa Campus. Of all the people he had met, Zack was the most accepting, the kindest, and the most trustworthy. If anyone could keep his secret, surely Zack could.

Zack, who had helped him train through the harder parts of the year. Zack, who taught him to be confident and assured. Zack, his best friend who he'd been lying to for so long. But those things couldn't justify telling the truth. It was imperative that no one caught on to his activities. Not until he found the woman he kept dreaming of.

 _You found it?_

"Yeah," Cloud began aloud, "I found it"

Perhaps Carpo was being more patient with him, or maybe she could sense his depressed mood, but she did not demand the names.

Cloud read over Rikku's scrawl before whispering, "Thallo, Goddess of Springtime. Auxo, Goddess of Summer. Carpo, Goddess of Autumn. I summon three, the Horai."

It was risky as fuck doing this outside the ShinRa building, but Cloud didn't particularly care. It would be interpreted as a random guy reading outside. No biggie.

He smelled flowers and honey, and felt a warm breeze pass through him. Thallo. He heard some animated talking inside his mind's eye before feeling warmth course through him, followed distantly by cicadas.

And suddenly, he could hear three women screaming in excitement. Cloud smiled despite the mild headache that was forming. He absentmindedly listened to the three catching up while walking to his barracks. They were family, he could tell.

When he was close to sleep, safe and sound in his own bed, Cloud felt Carpo pull away. Furrowing his eyebrows, he concentrated on visiting her once more.

"Cloud," She happily breathed.

He turned to find her sitting on a bench. They were in the woods again.

"Carpo. Where are your sisters?"

"They're preparing. We're going back home. "

"…Oh."

Cloud didn't know why, but this hurt a little more than he thought it would. He'd been helping out spirits for a long while now, but none of them had been so welcoming and present as Carpo. It was going to be too quiet in his head.

"I wanted to thank you. You helped reunite me with my family and soon my friends. I'm going home, Cloud," Carpo shifted to face him, "But there are things that were promised when we struck this deal."

"Yeah. I'm looking for someone."

"Who?"

"I don't know. It's why I was so compelled by your wish. I also don't know the name of the deity I'm looking for."

Carpo hummed in thought, "Well, you know that library is helpful now. You also have a translator at your fingertips, should you find anything in that writing again. I'm afraid I can't tell you who you need to find based off of the information you have. Don't you know anything else?"

Cloud racked his brain for all the weird images he remembered, "I remember balancing scales and a woman, something about the dawning sky."

"Perhaps, that's what you should be researching. Give it a chance, Cloud. All things happen for a reason."

"I don't know if I believe that."

"You literally stumbled into a café that had a woman who offered to translate an obscure language from a relic of a book, for free."

"Not free. I have to date her now."

"Good. You need to get out more."

"I would've if you hadn't invaded my brain."

Carpo rose to her feet with a sigh, "I'm going to miss you, Cloud."

He gave her a bittersweet smile, and a polite hug, "I'll miss you too."

Cloud opened his eyes to the dark ceiling of his room. It was so much darker than those woods.

 _Think of me when the leaves turn yellow._

And just like that, she was gone.

The cadet felt an absence in his head and heart that he'd forgotten was default. Though happy to have helped someone, Cloud felt a strong sense of emptiness. No more running around like a madman, trying to solve some impossible task. Well, not until someone else came along and asked for it.

As he closed his eyes, he acknowledged how difficult tomorrow was going to be.

Tomorrow meant dealing with Zack.


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note: Long time no see! For the past month I've been studying for the GRE. Though it is finally defeated, I'm still in the process of applying to graduate programs. It could mean sporadic updates, just a heads up. Thanks for the support and reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own any FF characters or worlds depicted below.

* * *

The morning greeted him with kind coldness.

It had been a long while since Cloud had the chance to sleep in, and it appeared that he'd slept a great deal longer than his fellow peers. A quick glance through blinds confirmed his hope- It was going to be a brisk, overcast day. Thankful for the rare privacy, he quickly changed while considering his task list: Breakfast, Zack, Library.

Bundled up in a soft, faded blue sweater, Cloud sauntered out the door.

And straight into someone.

"Cloud!"

Or maybe Zack first.

"Er..Hey!"

And for a second, it seemed like Zack was perfectly normal. As if he hadn't caught him in a lie last night, like Cloud hadn't been feeding him these lies for the past few months. Cloud nervously clasped his hands behind his back, ready to explain the best he could.

"Where are you off to?" The first-class gently asked, crossing his arms leisurely.

The tone set off a red flag.

"Uh, breakfast," The cadet responded, "I'm starved."

Silence clung to them for a few seconds. Steely eyes disguised with humor stared Cloud down, "Little late for breakfast. Did you stay up too late last night?"

Cloud felt his breath stop as Zack gave him a cheery smirk. He knew the warning signs, and they were all in front of him. His best friend was not in an amicable mood, despite his friendly demeanor. Surely his dishonesty over something so trivial wouldn't warrant this. Chasing away the dread in his chest, Cloud responded, "A little. How about you?"

"What were you doing?" Zack's voice rang, soft and demanding.

"Just hanging around. Where were you last night?"

Zack broke their eye contact, "You have a talent for redirection, Cloud. Maybe you should check out the Turks instead of SOLDIER."

And although Zack had ended that statement with a lilt, to imply a joke, there was firmness behind it that Cloud couldn't ignore. And when was the last time Zack had called him by his real name?

Okay. Fine.

"Maybe I should. I'm pretty good friends with one of them, he could get me in." Reno wasn't a friend, but whatever. Cloud's patience had flown out the window the second he realized Zack was going to be a jerk. He had stuff to do today, best friend be dammed.

"You know a Turk," Zack unkindly deadpanned.

"Yep," Cloud answered flippantly while beginning to walk down the hall, "Believe it or not Zack, I know people other than you. I have to go eat, talk to you later."

Body filled with unnecessary adrenaline, Cloud did not stop his stride until he was at line in the cafeteria. He'd quickly (quickly, quickly) get his food and book it out the door. Distance had always been his answer to conflict. When he was bullied back home solace would be found by going farther and farther away from town. Up the precarious, unexplored, snowy peaks, home to beasts and birds and spirits that only he could see. Across barely-there pathways that lead to long-forgotten colonies, unkept ruins, that were once trade camps and highways.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Cloud entertained a dangerous realization. That perhaps pursuing a better life in Midgar was, in actuality, just another abandoned path to run through blindly. Feeling ill-at-ease, he shut his train of thought down.

Slipping out the back door, the cadet decided to take the long way 'round the building. The trees were a nice change of pace from the inside of ShinRa, and it was incredible to actually hear the wind howl. He sighed, and followed the path made only by his footfalls.

Unwrapping his sandwich, Cloud tried his best to not think about what just happened.

Oh man. What just happened?

Small flecks of water began to tap at his head. Peering upward, Cloud acknowledged the rain and closed his eyes. Nostalgia was getting the better of him today.

When he was younger, his mother used to say that water had healing elements. Even though Cloud had long ago foregone such a notion, it didn't seem like such a bad idea now. He tilted his head further back and sighed, why was everything so difficult?

* * *

It was insufferable, the way Genesis saw everything and nothing.

He knew it too. He knew that every word he aimed at Angeal's precious 'Puppy' was an indirect punch his own gut. Angeal would be furious with him, but he didn't care. Because Zack hadn't breathed a word about their fights, their taunts. It wasn't much like him, but he supposed that everyone had to grow up sometime. Yet, what was this guilt, this confusion that festered in him whenever he thought of those violet eyes, burning bright with mako and anger?

The air in Midgar seemed crisp and fresh, despite the underlying scent of rust and smoke. It was finally Fall, the season he romanticized the most. One of death, absence, parting friends and arriving sorrows. He was feeling poetic, tragic, frozen and burned all at once. The people he passed in the night did not look him in the eye, but as he walked through their breath, fogged and weightless, he entertained the possibility of being ordinary. What a strange notion – to be recognized not for his fame, or strength. Maybe for his talents, his good looks.

Genesis pushed his unbidden thoughts down with a soft exhalation as he entered Sephiroth's office.

"I seem to recall locking that door," The general calmly stated.

"I seem to recall stealing the key, creating a copy, and you not saying anything about it," Genesis fired back playfully.

"Hm."

Taking that to mean that conversation was over, Genesis languidly spread himself on a black leather couch. He, Sephiroth and Angeal had once made a point to meet up for dinner twice a week, but it hadn't happened in over a month. Sure they were all busy, but Genesis couldn't help but wonder if the other two had gotten tired one another. He certainly hadn't been of them. An observant pair of eyes watched him from behind the desk, but Genesis refused to meet them.

"What do you want to eat?" Sephiroth inquired after a long, comfortable silence.

"You."

Genesis looked closely at his best friend's hand stilled in surprise and confusion, and then at the impassive face trained at him.

"…no?" Genesis nudged, closing his eyes once more.

Rustling of paper and typing of keys was his only answer. Once upon a time, they had played that game to perfection. And oh, the faces Angeal would make, the things his childhood friend would say after witnessing their flirtatious interactions made everything worthwhile. When did things become so tense between the three of them?

"Fine. I'll ask Angeal," His quipped, tone clearly put-off.

"Oh no. That line never leads to anything good."

Genesis sat up with a smirk as the last member of their trio pushed the door closed, "It is as they say: Speak of the Angel and he shall come."

Angeal scoffed and sent Sephiroth an amused look, "He been bothering you long?"

To which the general deadpanned, "Only 10 years."

"Haha. Be mean all you like. I have your office key and you have angered me," Genesis quipped. He knew where to hit his friend where it hurt: Take the secret candy stash out of his desk, replace the desktop with something girly, sprinkle horrendously pink glitter on everything. Ha.

"Touch anything and I will run you through."

"With what?" Genesis asked suggestively. There it was again. He watched as his best friend seized up and clenched his jaw. Was this really making him so mad?

"Gen. I think you should stop," Angeal's baritone voice broke through his train of thought.

"Why? It's just a joke. Both of you need to lighten up a bit."The cocky commander stood, sensually striding to the General's desk, "And I know a great way that involves chocolate, a bed, and the three of us."

"Genesis," His uptight friend warned, as if saying his name could force him into submission.

"Angeal," Genesis mocked, voice overly deep and strict.

He heard a sigh emerge from his reserved, overworked friend and then a careful pause, "I think it would be for the best if we forwent dinner."

Like a whirlwind, the temperamental commander silently walked out the door. He heard Angeal's objections as he sped through the hallway, followed by Sephiroth's calm assertions, "It's for the best, Angeal."

When he came into his consciousness, he was in his haven, the library. The pitter-patters against the back windows, the only windows in the whole room, helped soothe his headache. It was darkened, silent, and wonderfully absent of people.

Genesis sat in his usual spot and began to read aloud, projecting all of his emotions into the small phrases that couldn't possibly hold them.

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess

We seek it thus, and take to the sky"

Not so far away, hidden in an aisle and huddled cautiously, sat Cloud Strife. The cadet had spent the better part of the day reading though the books he rushed through the night before, hoping for a clue, a distraction, a safe place to hide from his best friend turned stranger. He'd been perfectly still and quiet when the orator entered the library, and was relieved to discover it was the same voice as before.

"Ripples form on the water's surface," He heard the voice speak, morose and sorrowful.

The cadet furrowed his eyebrows, feeling a large extent of this stranger's pain. He could not decipher what the narrations meant, and yet, he understood what they were supposed to convey perfectly. They both had sought the solitude and sanctuary the abandoned library provided, and Cloud couldn't help but wonder who this man was, and what he looked like. He was tempted to peer though the books, but decided against it. Whoever it was, it didn't matter. This was enough.

"The wandering soul knows no rest," The voice evenly spoke, graceful and broken all the same. Cloud smiled ruefully, understanding the implications of this line alone. How true it was. The cadet leaned his head back against the books, willingly drifting into a meditative state.

Across the room, the burdened commander did the same. They both gave in to the exhaustion and stress of the fall day, sleeping fitfully until the break of dawn.

* * *

Authors note: I've gotten a few questions regarding the source of the mythology present in this story. Some deities are going to be based off of FF lore, with alterations. Others may be Greek/Roman and Pagan in origin. A handful will also be original characters that (hopefully) have some basis in the universe. It's a grand experiment and I absolutely need your feedback!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: DID YOU ALL SEE THE MAGIC THAT IS THE REMAKE GAMEPLAY TRAILER. DID YOU.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, but I do own this story.

* * *

Time passed like static.

Fall gave way to more bleak December days, which meant an influx of exams and desperate cadets, like Cloud, struggling to get their grades up by the end of the year. There'd been a lull in his supernatural hobby since Carpo, a both welcome and unwelcome change of pace. Though it should have meant that he could focus more on his studies and relax, he found himself more unraveled than ever. Zack had been avoiding him like the plague since that fateful encounter weeks ago, and ever prideful Cloud saw no need to bow down first. He wasn't the one out of line.

Anxious and confused, he'd often find himself in the library. Unlike his barracks, it was actually heated and absent of people. Well, most of the time.

When he woke a few weeks ago to find himself in the library, he recognized that, yes, he had slept in the most awkward position imaginable, but it was somehow more comfortable than his own bed. As the groggy cadet walked around and stretched the kinks out of his back, he eyed a book left on the table, open and ready to read. If he wasn't mistaken, it was the book that his mysterious orator read from.

Curiosity got the better of him, as it always does, and he spent the day looking for another copy of the material. Try finding a book in a library that has no number system or subject organization. Yeah. It took forfuckingever. True, he could have just nabbed the book that was left on the table, but he didn't want to leave a trace of his existence; the man need not know he was there.

And finally, FINALLY, Cloud managed to find another, more battered edition. He read through it a few times, having difficulty understanding the symbolism and metaphor heavy in the text. Maybe it was because he had nothing better to do, or maybe it was because he missed having ambiguous challenges thrown at him, but Cloud was dedicated to understanding the riddle of a poem. Or play. Whatever it was.

He tried to figure out what the ShinRa official's schedule was, but this guy never came in at the same time, or on same days. Cloud felt like he was playing an elaborate, one-sided game of hide and seek, but the reward was well worth his silence. Listening to the stranger speak and following along with his finger became something of a treat. A few weeks later found him silently mouthing along with the man, without the assistance of a book. He still couldn't figure out what it meant, but the words were soothing, and that was enough for the cadet.

It was a welcome distraction.

On foggy mornings, when he felt like he needed some activity and fresh air, Cloud opted to visit the small garden located quite a distance away from the well-known parts of campus. When he had first enrolled in training, which would lead him to become a cadet, he'd found the spot after getting terribly lost. As there was never a dead plant in its bounds, it seemed that the space was kept carefully and meticulously. By whom, he still did not know.

There were willows and pines and the most delicate flowers that could never grow back home. Nibelheim was rough on its inhabitants, flora and fauna included. Herbs and flowers and, very occasionally, vegetables and fruits were sprinkled intermittently in the small courtyard. It was organized chaos, and it made the teen wonder what kind of individual the gardener was.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the cadet stepped out into the cold. He beelined to his favorites and checked each for new growth or signs of withering. Sometimes, very rarely, he'd visit the garden to find that it had been neglected for a few weeks. It didn't happen very often, but it lead the sharp cadet to conclude that whomever cared for the plants had to travel. Quite honestly, that could have been anyone. Some secretaries traveled with their bosses, often officials high in the food chain. There were professors that taught basic academic subjects and lived on campus, too. Of course, there were always SOLDIERs, but Cloud severely doubted any of them would put so much effort and love into a secret garden.

So of course Cloud, being the mama-taught green thumb he was, took it upon himself to check in every once in a while. If it appeared that the caretaker had been absent, he'd weed, water and replant. He went as far as to visit town a few times in order to purchase interesting new seeds and watch them take root. It was a little dicey, gardening in someone else's garden, but one day he found that someone else (the gardener?) had watered his new sprouts.

Cloud had never made a friend so easily.

Well. Not that he knew who this person was, or vice versa, but he could tell it was appreciated.

Cloud huffed in amusement as he saw his rosemary bundled up and propped against a wooden stick. It had been suffering under the harsh fall winds for a few days; he could tell. Sending a silent prayer to ask for permission to pick, Cloud gingerly broke off a small, purple flower. Just inhaling the smell brought him back to his Mother's kitchen, back to snowy mountains and howling winds, lonesome nights that didn't feel as bad as they should have.

"Ah. We finally meet."

Blue eyes widened in surprise, and he wasn't sure if he should turn around or run away. The result was a half-step forward, half-twist to the speaker that looked more than a little awkward.

Oh shit.

"Uh! Sir! I'm sorry Sir!" Cloud pushed out, crisply saluting his superior. Oh, this wasn't happening.

The SOLDIER chuckled lowly, but not unkindly, "There's no need for that. Look around you," he gestured at their surroundings, "This place isn't meant to be one of formality." He smiled gently at the strung, panicked expression on Cloud's face, "I'm here just to be a man who enjoys plants, nothing more."

With that, he walked over to Cloud's side, kneeling toward the rosemary to inspect it further, "Looks like she took some bad wind. I hope you don't mind; I thought the support would help," He turned his gaze to peer into Cloud's still-shocked eyes.

"Uh…no Sir. I appreciate it, Sir," Cloud muttered articulately, avoiding the piercing gaze of his superior.

Said superior sighed and stood up, giving Cloud his full attention, "Please. Call me Angeal. It's so very rare to meet someone here that cares for plants as much as I and can properly care for them." He watched Cloud flush, "I would like it very much if we could be friends. You've done so much for the garden, and I feel like I know you already."

Was he asleep in the library again? Cloud slowly exhaled, watching Commander Angeal's kind green eyes through his visible fogged breath, "You don't even know who I am. I could be a scientist, or a Turk, or some random, crazy person who infiltrated ShinRa to get to your plants."

Angeal threw his head back and laughed; it was booming and the cadet couldn't help but start a little. When the first class collected his bearings, he sighed in amusement and responded, "You have helped keep my plants healthy, which means you are kind. You have also come here quite frequently, which means you are consistent and honor your projects. Also, you've shown me today that you have a good sense of humor. What more could I possibly require?" He peered around at the delicate blue flowers that Cloud didn't know the name of, "Besides, I think it's high time I made some new friends."

Cloud was speechless.

Angeal took no offense to Cloud's silence, opting to check on his other plants and pick at some here and there. While Cloud waited for his mind to catch up with his ears, he watched the SOLDIER walk around. Was it really such a bad thing to be friends with this guy? The fact that he wasn't throwing rank around was good, because he couldn't handle a relationship like that. Plus, Angeal was giving him ample time to make a decision, something that fast-paced Zack never did for him. For once, Cloud did not feel pressured to make the decision, which ultimately drove him to an answer.

Stepping carefully around the towering fennel, Cloud came to stand next to Angel, "Cloud."

Angeal paused and looked around the garden, "No. I don't think we have that."

The teen furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and stared at Angeal, who did the same. Cloud shook his head once, twice, before breathing out a "What?"

Angeal looked around the garden again, somewhat confused himself, "I don't have any cloud here. The seeds are rare, and I haven't been able to track them down. "

And just like that, for the first time in what felt like forever, Cloud burst out laughing. His vision blurred and he had to hold his aching stomach to stop the jabbing pains. He distantly heard Angeal's bemused and plenty concerned, "I don't understand. What is happening?" And it made him laugh even harder. In the end, the cadet's giggles proved to be too much, and the first class found himself laughing too.

Cloud wiped the tears from his eyes and affectionately retorted, "That's my name, Angeal. My name is Cloud." Angeal was flushed, and Cloud couldn't tell if it was from the laughing or from the misunderstanding, but it was attractive either way.

"I'm very sorry Cloud. I hope I have not ruined my chances in attaining your friendship."

Cloud genuinely smiled, "Nah. I think it would be nice."

Angel extended his hand, "How about we meet here next week, same time. I'll bring some new plants for that corner over there."

Cloud clasped his hand in Angeal's, squeezing in affirmation, "Sounds like a plan."

They stared at one another, mirth from their encounter still visible in their gazes, and neither pulled away for a good beat. If they had, they might've noticed a mutual acquaintance walk sullenly away, intent on never talking to either Cloud or Angeal again.

Zack was being left behind.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hello! Happy Late Yule, and Merry Christmas Eve. I originally meant to have a single Yule-oriented chapter, but it got too big. Here is the first half, the rest should be finished sometime tomorrow. Have fun reading, and let me know if there are any errors that need fixing.

* * *

The petals of the delicate flowers Cloud so admired had fallen to the ground, their bright colors turned brown and yellow. Rubbing his hands up and down chilled arms, the lone cadet gazed at the garden around him. He would have to wait to see most of them again until Spring, wherein he'd be able to plant the seeds and start the process all over again. There was something calming about the prospect. Some of their plants, like kale and camellia, would survive the harsh winter of Midgar. Others, like the snowdrops he and Angeal had planted the week after they met, would even thrive in it.

Cloud could now admit that Angeal had become a close friend; a calming presence that he very much needed. It was a strange turn of events, having gotten to know Zack's mentor. Cloud was fairly confident that the First Class had not associated him with his own protégé. If Angeal hadn't recognized his name immediately upon meeting, it was safe to assume Cloud's identity was still up in the air.

"Good Morning, Cloud." Angeal spoke, smooth voice pleasantly filling the enclosure. Cloud turned swiftly, not surprised by the silent entrance. The first few times they met up Cloud flinched (and maybe yelped a little bit) every single instance that Angeal spontaneously appeared next to him. Given the First Class' not-so-subtle smile, he assumed Angeal did it on purpose. How the hell did a man that big move so quietly?

Shaking his head to cut off his train of thought, the blond gave his full attention to Angeal. He was out of uniform today, and Cloud couldn't help but trail his blue eyes over the form-fitting grey sweater and black slacks. He looked good.

"Hello, Angeal," Cloud grinned, "Have the day off?"

At Angeal's surprised blink, Cloud gestured to his clothes, "I doubt you're going to your office like that." This guy was a stickler for uniform and procedure, there was no way.

"Oh. Yes, you're correct. I have more than a day, actually. I somehow managed to procure a week off, and just in time for Yule," he answered with a lopsided smile.

They both bent down to examine the snowdrops, which had sprouted some time during the night. While Angeal gently lifted a curling sprout by the tip of his finger, the younger of the two couldn't help but study his Commander. Cloud had never seen Angeal fight, but he liked to think he put just as much concentration in caring for his plants as he did wielding a sword. Furrowed eyebrows made Angeal's focused frown seem more intimidating, but his gaze, cautious and warm, convinced Cloud that the SOLDIER was not scary at all.

"Is there a reason you're staring, Cloud?"

And the reason he could see this cautious and warm gaze was because it had been trained on him too oh god how long had he been staring-

"I'm cold."

It was a stupid thing to say, because why would he be staring at someone if he were cold? To mark his point, Cloud rubbed his hands rapidly up and down his arms and waited for things to get awkward. But they didn't.

Angeal's frown became more pronounced as he pulled away from the snowdrops to lightly touch Cloud's bright red cheek. Cloud again found himself lost in Angeal's open expression, and barely had time to think before accidently saying, "Your eyes are pretty."

Instant regret surged though him. The owner of said eyes blinked before settling into something that looked suspiciously like fondness, "I think your eyes are very pretty too, Cloud."

Oh god.

"But you know," Angeal began, "my eyes weren't this color a long time ago."

"Ah, the mako?"

"Yes, the mako," he agreed, absentmindedly scratching his chin, "They used to be brown. It's an odd thing, changing eye colors. Sometimes I still look in the mirror and get confused."

Cloud chucked, "Yeah that would be weird. At least mine will stay the same, maybe get a little bluer."

Angeal hummed, "So you're gunning for SOLDIER then. I've been wondering what you do when you're not here."

It was another slip-up, but Cloud brushed it off.

"I'm surprised you didn't try to look me up in your database."

"I'm still not sure if Cloud is your real name."

"It is."

Angeal gave him a considering look, "Even so, it isn't honorable to attain that kind of knowledge for a friendship. I'd like to know you on your own merits. Perhaps one day we'll be working together."

Cloud found it hard to imagine him and Angeal killing things side by side. It was a possibility he hadn't entertained, even though he knew cadets often got pulled into missions with SOLDIERS. Honestly, he'd been lucky that he hadn't been sent on one with Zack. He shivered; Gaia, that would be terrible.

Angeal placed both hands on the sides of his cheeks, sending in instant warmth and quelling his worries, "You really are cold. I'd offer a scarf or jacket, but I don't have one right now. Don't you have any?"

"Not really," Cloud chattered out, "For some reason I thought winters in Midgar would be warm, so I left a lot at home. You'd think I'd be used to this, being from Nibelheim and all, but we never got such dry winds. There was always enough moisture for snow."

Angeal smiled victoriously.

"What." Cloud deadpanned.

"You're from Nibelheim."

"DAMMIT ANGEAL."

But the cadet hid an indulgent smile under his hand as the older man laughed. He might have been failing at keeping aspects of his identity secret, but it was becoming more and more difficult to care. If anyone deserved to know him, surely, it was Angeal.

* * *

He was walking across middle of the library when he noticed he wasn't alone. After having spent a few hours in the garden with Angeal, Cloud decided to do some research on the mystery deity that had been evading him. Then again, all deities seemed to have thrown up their hands and left the Cadet. He was in a lull, and it was making him nervous. So whatever, he was taking Carpo's advice and reading.

Usually, he had very good timing. He'd always manage to settle down into his aisle before the orator waltzed in, but not today. To his credit, Cloud did not freeze up. Instead, he took it upon himself to evade eye-contact and beeline toward his usual spot. He rustled around and opened the book to a random page, intent on pretending the run-in wasn't a big deal.

"….Hello?" The Orator's voice rang, sounding both confused and miffed.

To respond or not to respond? A few minutes of silence settled between them and the library returned to its sleepy self. That is, until the other Man sighed impatiently.

"Little Blond. It is very rude to ignore people, especially if that person has been graciously ignoring your presence for the past few weeks because he recognizes that you don't want to be found."

Cloud felt his face flush. 'Little blond' was way worse than what Zack called him, or had called him, that is. Feeling some dread pool in his stomach, the Cadet continued ignoring the Man in favor of squinting at some cryptic stanzas.

"You're not sneaky."

Cloud yelped. The stranger was right beside him, and he could see slim boots next to his own crossed legs. The younger's gaze panned up to black pants a warm-looking deep red pea coat . It almost matched the mystery man's hair, which was brushed neatly and shone in the dim light of the library. A strange inclination crept up on Cloud. He'd seen this guy before, but where?

The stranger seemed to likewise take in Cloud's appearance before crossing his arms and peering down, "Are you mute?"

"No. Just didn't really want to talk."

"Hm. Most would jump at the opportunity."

"…What do you want?" Cloud stood, mimicking the elder's stance. Egotistical people were the worst.

The other gave him an appraising look, as if really seeing him for the first time, "I want to know who's been sneaking into my library."

Cloud huffed, "It's not sneaking if the door is unlocked, and just because no one else makes use of a public space doesn't mean it's yours."

The man slinked into a slow smirk that burned its way pleasantly down Cloud's spine, "No? And just who are you to say what is and isn't mine? For all you know," he uttered, now a few inches from the brazen Cadet, "I could be someone important. Very important."

That's when Cloud saw the faint glow of mako in the Man's green eyes. His heart gave some erratic thumps as he realized that he'd just smart-mouthed a superior. Seeing as he was already kind of screwed, Cloud took the leap.

"And who are you to question me?" the blond asked, experimenting with a tone he'd never tried to use before, low and light and vaguely threatening,

Cloud did not show the joy he felt at the apprehensive look the SOLDIER gave him, cause that would have ruined this thing he had going. Smirking a tad, Cloud came even closer to his Superior, as if daring the Man to say something else, "I could also be someone important. " He narrowed his eyes and mocked, "Very important."

The other man was the first to pull away, instilling a weird sense of manly pride in Cloud at having held his own.

"We will get along fine, you and I. You probably already know my name, but for the sake of playing your game, it's Genesis. "

Genesis. Genesis Rhapsodos. Commander Genesis Rhapsodos. Just like that, Cloud's manly pride devolved into forced bravado, "You may call me Cloud."

Genesis quirked a sharp brow, "Is that your real name?"

"Of course not."

"If you're so important why are you afraid to give me your real name?"

"I'm so important that even you, Genesis, cannot know of my presence. Why is it you think I so often hide in this library? I have to avoid being seen."

The Commander held a hand to his face, studying him intently, "Are you a core investor?"

"Can't say."

"Turk?"

"Can't say"

"Member of the active terrorist group avalanche?"

"Can't say."

The commander sighed in resignation, "Oh whatever I don't care. Besides, I could kill you in an instant if I wanted to."

"Sounds Good." Cloud responded, chipper despite having his life half-threatened.

Genesis chuckled at Cloud's tone. Eccentric personality that he was, the redhead found it hard to be surprised by another person's behavior, but here he stood, all out of intimidating comments and erotic implications. "Would you like to sit on an actual chair today?" he asked with a tint of sass, because what kind of person sat on a dingy floor?

The boy in front of him uncrossed his arms, "I'd be delighted. I haven't sat in a chair in over two years."

"Oh shut up, _Cloud_ ," Genesis bantered without heat while leading them to his couch. It was an old, worn-in piece of furniture that he'd gotten from a small antique store in the city. The royal blue had faded, but the low lighting of the room helped smooth over that particular characteristic. He delicately sat on one end and opened _Loveless_ , wondering how Cloud would surprise him next.

The Blond pilled a few books on the scratched coffee table in front of them (another buy from the same store) and settled into the space next to the armrest. He watched Cloud pick a hunk of a book off the table and prop it against the armrest. Okay. No surprises then.

About half an hour into their reading time, Genesis realized that Cloud was reading something in a different language. A language that he, scholarly, well-travelled Genesis, did not recognize. "What the hell are you reading," he asked flatly.

Cloud looked up, then back to his book, and muttered a bored, "Can't say."

Genesis was going to set the boy on fire. He'd never been brushed off so impassively by anyone other than his two friends. Who, speaking of which, had not spoken to him in over two weeks. He'd seen that exact scenario coming a mile away, but at least there was no longer a pressure to keep them all together. Things were destined to fall apart.

"What's wrong?"

The Blond asked, closing his book and actively turned toward him. Taking in Cloud's presence, Genesis leaned back on the couch until his head hit the hilt, "Everything, it seems."

He was so often chided by Angeal and ignored by Sephiroth because of his flair toward dramatics. So when these did not come, he opened his eyes to find Cloud's sympathetic stare and unwavering attention. The boy tossed his book onto the coffee table with a soft thump and sighed, "Yeah, me too."

That got the ball rolling. "I practiced for an audition and didn't get the part."

"I helped a woman accomplish a lifetime goal and her best advice for my problems was go read."

"My co-workers are idiots and are attempting to force me into teaching stupid cadets."

"I get lost every single time I come to this library. It's been over a month."

"My best fucking friends recently decided that they wanted nothing to do with me."

"My best and only friend severed his ties with me because of a minuscule lie."

"My fan club was founded as a bookclub but now all they do is stalk me and talk about my ass."

"I was tasked to help this group of people but they recently decided I wasn't worthy enough to even contact."

"Fuck them."

"Yeah. All of them."

The two worked-up men sat sullenly, feeling an odd camaraderie form between their peeved souls. Genesis had never met someone who was willing to just vent with him. The responses to his complaints always consisted of pieces of advice he didn't want, or reassurances he didn't feel. Finally, someone who wasn't afraid of a little fire.

Genesis stood, stretching his spine and fixing his coat, "Midgar has been described as many things: The city of dreams, a polluted wasteland, the degradation of the planet, and a Home to the Broken. I think you can agree that it's a chaotic mess of a place," he angled his head to meet Cloud's focused gaze, "but they often say you can find answers in the thick of it all."

Cloud opened his mouth to respond, but closed again in confusion. It appeared that the rumors were true, Genesis could talk on and on without saying much of anything. Just as the Commander reached the doorway (which Cloud deduced from the turn of the knob) he advised, "Go for a walk. Believe me, it'll at the very least clear your mind."

With a resounding creek, Genesis was gone. Well, then. The Cadet sighed and looked tiredly at his pile of literature. He wasn't going to find anything in these books anyway.

* * *

Ten minutes later found him in the orange-glow lighting of Midgar. While the reactors did emit a green light, the actual streets looked relatively ordinary. Berating himself for having left his winter clothes, Cloud clutched the super thin cardigan to his chest and tried to walk casually though the streets, not quite used to travelling without a destination. Being the day before Yule, there were lots of people out carrying brand-name bags and having dinner at patio restaurants. Cloud pouted enviously at the outside heaters keeping the customers warm while they ate.

"Get out! You know very well you shouldn't be in here if you don't have money to spend!"

Cloud slowed his pace and naturally glanced toward the source of commotion.

"Your kind shouldn't be in this sector. Rotten lazy beggars," A young, sharp dressed man lectured to a hunched figure.

Upon closer inspection, Cloud realized that the figure was a middle-aged man. A homeless-looking man. The Cadet's capped lips dipped into a frown at the scene. Clad in ripped jeans, a short-sleeved shirt, and a stained green beanie, it was obvious that he had been looking for warmth, not handouts. As he slid down the storefront wall to huddle his body together, Cloud felt a pang of injustice. Perhaps it was because Nibelheim had never gotten transients, or maybe it was because his Mother had taught him to be non-judgmental, but Cloud couldn't find it in himself to simply pass by.

Before he knew it, he was shrugging off his shitty cardigan and laying it around the man's shoulders. Cloud's eyes met another's, and there was a gratitude that Cloud was sure had more to do with sentiment than actual need.

"I'm sorry. This is all I can do for you," the blond said quietly, "Merry Yule."

Cloud half-regretted his decision 20 minutes later, when he realized he was freezing to death. Forgoing the notion of a mind-clearing walk (because Genesis is stupid and it didn't help in any way), Cloud quickly made his way back to HQ. When he turned a corner that should have lead him back to Main Street, he stopped moving. What the hell?

Backtrack to Loveless Avenue, which was now apparently Violet Street? He was certain he had never passed a Violet Street. A strain of panic began to set in this throat, and he decided he'd ask whomever he came across next. Circles and unknown paths later, the panic began to settle into fear, as he hadn't seen a single soul in over ten minutes. It was so quiet.

Something began to close in on him, he could feel it. A heavy presence that he experienced so often as a child. Always when he was alone. Like the library. He recalled Carpo saying it wasn't real, but this wasn't just anxiety. Something else. Dark. Empty. Full.

Cloud's head was muddy and he could only think in fragmented pieces, like something was slipping in and shutting him down. Drifting back to something-

"Are you lost, my friend?"

It started at his shoulder. A lightness that erased the cold and eased the tension. It spread to his arms and chest until he could finally think and breathe and see again. Cloud gulped down air as if he had almost drowned, and trained his gaze on homeless man that now wore his forest green cardigan.

"You should be careful around here at night. It's a dangerous place for someone like you."

While Cloud tried to catch his breath and process what just happened, he gave the Man a once-over. The hunched back was gone, and his stance was tall and proud. His eyes, that were once milky with loss and pain, were clear and bright and happy. Fuck, he didn't even look cold.

"Now before you get mad at me for foolin' you, I got a confession."

"What? That you're a fraud?" Cloud angrily spit out.

"No. I'm your best friend right now."

"My best friend wouldn't ever fool me like that."

"Oh," The man quipped, "so it's okay for you to fool him but not for him to fool you?"

The pause that filled the air was accentuated by the lack of activity around them. Cloud struggled to get his thoughts in order, "Excuse me?"

The man sighed, "Can I introduce myself now? Okay- no Cloud shut up for a second. My name is Glybi, and I am also known as the Giving God. So acts of charity and kindness, such as the act you so generously performed tonight, happen to be within my domain."

As soon as Cloud heard the word God, he groaned. Out loud. Of course this would happen now.

"Okay. So what do I need to do for you?" He asked, massaging the bridge of his nose with pinched fingers.

"Oh I don't need anything."

The comment was so sudden and flippant that Cloud got a little offended, "Are you serious?"

Glybi chucked at the teen's tone, "I don't need anything, but I think you do. I'm willing to cut a deal."

Instant suspicion.

"What exactly is it that I need?" Cloud asked in that same dangerous tone he used earlier with Genesis.

"Down, Boy. I'm just trying to help you out. That thing you felt before I came along, you've felt it many times before right?"

The Cadet swallowed hard, indecision and a twinge of fear mixed in a mess inside of him, "Y-yes."

Glybie's expression turned serious and grim, and his tone, which was previously jovial and conversational, became demanding, "You need to know what you're up against. There won't always be someone around to help."

"What I'm..up against?" What had been happening without his knowledge?

"Many things have happened, and will happen, without your knowledge, Cloud. You need to ask me what just happened to you, and I will ask you for something in return. Our deal will be struck, and you will finally understand."

Cloud knew the pause was given to allow him ample time for consideration, but he was having the damnest time thinking properly. He sighed, "Usually, I feel a..rightness? I don't know. Something good when I'm supposed to help your kind. Why is it that I cannot now?"

Glybie tilted his head in thought, "Well, you're most likely still recovering from that event. I'm also a different case from your other…customers. I have a body, see?" He wiggled his fingers, "I don't need to be connected with you so intricately like the others. Prefer it that way too, I like my space. "

"You and me both," Cloud muttered, suddenly bone tired. Didn't he just complain to Genesis about a lack of spiritual visitors? And if this guy wasn't to be trusted, he'd know by the task the Giving God demanded of him. Blond spikes jumped up and down as the Cadet nodded, "Yeah. I'll do it."

"You have to ask the question."

"What question?"

"The whole reason you're doing this, Cloud. Come on, focus."

"What happened to me before you came? What makes me…What is the presence I feel?"

The Giving God shifted and the winds swirled amongst them, "Your question comes with a cost, do you accept?"

Closing his eyes against the assault of wind, Cloud asked, "What is the cost?"

The Giving God repeated, "Do you accept?"

And Cloud, fed up with the nonsense of the moment, yelled, "Yes, I guess I have no fucking choice!"

Just like that, the gales ceased. He peered in between his hands to spot Glybie, who was giving him a look of pride, "Are you going to tell me what to do now?"

The Giving God chucked while turning away from Cloud, "It's pretty damn simple. Give. "

"You're kidding me. Are you serious. Wait hold on-" Cloud implored as she watched Glybie turn the corner. He grunted and quickly ran after, only to find Main Street. It was packed with people, but there was no sign of the Man who struck their deal. Hooray for ambiguous challenges.

Giving. Gifts. Money. Money he didn't have. Cloud sighed as he navigated clumsily though the crowds, deciding he needed a pick-me-up before dealing with anything else. As he slowed to enter the Café that gave him the delicious pumpkin latte weeks ago, he noticed a train of people out the door. What the hell?

The cadet pushed past them and into the store, ignoring the complaints, glares and grumbling that followed. The single file line leading to the register confirmed his suspicions, these people were standing in a massive line for _coffee_. Cloud was about to turn away and walk out the door when he spotted that one girl (Rina?) that helped him decipher a book for Carpo. And wow did Renna look stressed out. The blond blinked as the girl practically ran back and forth from the machines to the cashier, apparently the only employee staffed for the night. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and although he could hear a friendly welcoming tone of voice, he just knew she was about to go crazy.

 _Give._

No. Absolutely not. He was tired and it was so fucking late-

 _Cloud you're being difficult._

Not fair. Not fair, not fair, not fair Cloud chanted childishly as he walked over to the cash register.

"What do you think you're doing, young man?" An old lady with beedy eyes asked. He disregarded her in favor of…Rikku? Rikku, "Hey Rikku. How's it going?"

She stared at him in confusion and a little apprehension, "It's….going. I'm sorry Cloud but I can't skip all these people. You have to get in line like everyone else."

"Yeah!" Some guy from the far back of the store yelled.

"I don't want to order anything," Cloud reassured, "and I'm not here to distract you either. I was actually wondering if I could help?"

She stared at him in wonder, "For real? I don't know if I can pay you.."

"For real, Rikku. I don't care about the money."

"This line is taking FOREVER," Some obnoxious girl complained.

"Yes. Please, please yes. Come around and put on that apron," she practically sang, and hastily took down the old woman's order. When Cloud was barista-ready, Rikku grabbed his hand and swung him at the register, "Do you know how to do this?"

"Not really-"

"Good. I'll be making the drinks. Just make sure to put down clear orders and a name."

Hooookay, "How can I help you, Sir?"

"Yeah, uh. Let's see…give me a minute to look at the menu."

"Are you serious?" Cloud asked, "You've been in line for like, an hour."

He felt a swat to his arm (Rikku, no doubt) and hastily corrected, "Take all the time you need. Why don't you step to the side and I'll take your order as soon as you're ready."

It was terrible. Cloud did his best to take down orders correctly but Shiva, some people had specifications a mile long. They had to redo some, and Cloud had trouble with the register a few times, but Rikku always bounced to him and mixed the problem. So badly did he want to say, "No. I'm not writing your name in cursive just so you can take a picture of it", but he instead just made the cursive extra wonky and 4-year-old-looking. Cause, you know, _give_.

 _Are you always this sassy?_

"You caught me on a bad day, I'm usually more sassy," he accidently said out loud.

"Uh. Okay?" A middle-aged man responded. Cloud flushed in embarrassment and pretended it didn't happen. His only solace was that the line was no-longer out the door. Freedom was so close. He looked down to survey the notecard stack; it was getting kind of low.

"Hello. I believe we're met," he heard as the next customer stepped up.

Cloud tensed at the voice. Nope. Nope. It can't be-

"General Sephiroth, Sir!" The cadet saluted, unintentionally flinging his pen across the room.

The general followed its trajectory with amused eyes before fixing his gaze on Cloud, "Yes. That is my name."

Not fair. Not fair not fair not faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaair.

"What can I get you, Sir?" Cloud braved, hoping to redeem himself and plucking another pen from the counter.

"A large Eggnog latte. Extra Whipped Cream."

To his credit, Cloud did not look at him in confusion and barely paused as he took down the order. The General had a sweet tooth? As he turned to pass Rikku the note, he couldn't help but grin at her and mouth, "Can you believe it?"

She giggled at him and went work. Cloud saw Sephiroth accept his order out of the corner of his eye, and smiled as he left the warm shop. The last customer.

Rikku quite literally fell to the floor when he announced it. He joined her soon after, promising himself to never take a job in customer service. They sat awhile, frazzled nerves dissipating in the wake of the now peaceful café.

"Thank you so much, Cloud."

Tired eyes met equally exhausted ones, "Well, we never had that date. I owed you."

Rikku chuckled and leaned her head back to touch the counter rail, "That doesn't count as a date, Cloud. You're not the one that owes me; I owe you. My boss is a colossal jerk and said I could handle it all on my own. I was serious when I said I can't compensate you."

Maybe Rikku could help him with his duties one more time. Cloud hummed in thought, "Well, I do need advice."

Rikku sat up straight, "From me? Go ahead, I'm good at helping people."

"Well. I want to give a gift to a lot of people, some friends and some strangers, but I'm broke and I only have tonight to get it. What can I do to make people happy?"

Disbelief was apparent on Rikku's face before she gave a happy laugh and chirped, "You're straight out of a fairy tale, Cloudy-kins."

"Don't call me that."

"Prince Cloud!"

"Stop."

"PrinCESS Cloud?"

"I swear to Gaia-"

Rikku held up her hands surrender as Cloud's glare intensified, "Okay, Okay! I'll stop. I have a great solution to your problem. Cookies!"

"Cookies."

"Cookies!"

Cloud sighed and stood, stretching the kinks out of his tired arms, "Cookies are expensive."

Rikku, not enjoying having to crane her neck, got to her feet and crossed her arms, "Not if you make them yourself! They mean more that way too."

"I don't have a kitchen and I can't possibly make so many cookies in one night," The disgruntled teen reasoned, taking off his apron and returning it to the hook.

"You may not, but I do. There's a great kitchen right behind us, and I am so down to help you!" Rikku's hands were clenched and her arms were up and ready to fight; a classic lets-do-this pose, "I need to close now anyway, so we don't have to worry about customers or interruptions. Do you know how to make cookies?"

Cloud felt his resolve breaking, "Y-Yes I do. My Mother and I used to make these awesome sugar cookies around this time of year, with sprinkles and everything."

Rikku smiled brightly, "Then what are we waiting for?! Go get the ingredients down the street and I'll get everything ready!"

The cold air hit Cloud hard, but nothing could stop the grin from forming on his face. Cheeks red from excitement, he took off at a run, anxious to begin the project.

 _It's perfect, Cloud. Keep it up._

* * *

A/N: Please review, and expect another update tomorrow!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Alrighty. As promised, we have Yule Part 2. Enjoy!

* * *

"Wow. Thanks, Strife. Are you sure?"

"Of course, Mathewson! It's just cookies, no big deal."

The bulky man stared at him with incredulous eyes, "No big deal? I haven't had homemade cookies since I last saw Ma. That was over a year ago, man. Call me Eric, please."

Cloud gave a nervous chuckle and shook Eric's extended hand, "It's no problem. Call me Cloud."

Jogging toward the cafeteria, Eric hollered, "I'ma get some milk! See you around Cloud!"

The blond gave a fond sigh. What a day. Yule had finally come, and even though classes were cancelled no one really left HQ or Midgar. The day after was fair game for instructors who often sadistically made long projects due after Yule. It left hardworking cadets no choice but to study inside.

After having to be convinced for a few minutes by Glybie, Cloud had gone to all of his past and present instructors to show his appreciation in the form of cookies. He was so lucky Rikku had gotten the idea of bag them up, elsewise giving them out would have been much more awkward than shoving a package into a teacher's hand and slurring, "ErryYuleSir," before running off into the distance.

The cookie making process had been both fun and infuriating. It turned out that wheat flour was not the same as baking flour, and vanilla extract could not be replaced by vanilla milkshake powder (oops). He and Rikku made two experimental batches before realizing they were both baking novices, whereupon Rikku called a friend to figure out what they were doing wrong.

Apparently it was everything, but once they had an actual recipe in hand everything became automatic. By the time Cloud had iced the last snowman and Rikku had curled the last ribbon on the last bag, it was four in the morning. Thank God Cloud didn't have classes. His cookie-making accomplice stifled a wide yawn after they had cleaned up and muttered a, "Good date Cloud, but let's never cook together again," before kicking him out and heading home.

Now he was walking around aimlessly, messenger bag filled with cookies, handling gifts out to everyone he knew/got the courage to walk up to.

 _That guy! To the right, about to turn the corner!_

Cloud looked up in interest, and then bristled at the suit and tie. No way nope-

 _Cloud._

Nope, he wasn't going to give cookies to some random Turk he'd never seen before-

 _Yes, you are. Otherwise your end of the deal will be null and void._

"E-excuse me, sir," Cloud stuttered out to the glaring man in front of him. His eyes seemed more intense though the glasses his wore, especially when he fixed Cloud with something akin to annoyance. He was going to die because of these stupid cookies.

"Yes?" The man smoothly demanded, no doubt barely tolerating their interaction.

"I have some cookies. For Yule. They're gifts, kinda. Would you like…one?" Cloud asked, voice dying out by the end of his spiel. The turk looked taken aback, and glanced down at the cadet with surprise. Accessing the innocent bag of home-baked goods in Cloud's hand, the man sighed and let shoulders drop in sudden calm.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

 _Tell him your name._

NO.

 _Do it, Cloud._

"Would it be presumptuous to ask for your name?" The man asked, brushing a stray strand of hair from his face.

 _See? No one is going to kill you for being kind._

Cloud took a small breath, "Cloud. Cloud Strife."

The turk gave him an appraising look up and down, "I'm Tseng. Thank you for the cookies, Cloud. Not many choose to celebrate Yule so generously. Enjoy your holiday." Cloud watched him turn the corner with burgeoning courage; he just gave Yule cookies to the leader of the Turks.

 _One for the books, eh?_

Renewed from the exchange, Cloud took the elevator a few floors up. He still had half a bag full of cookies to give away, and he'd covered the instructors, classmates, and passer-bys on the main floor. Leaning his head against the metal, he considered how unhappy he was a month prior. It felt like lifespans past now. He mused on this thought while walking into the lobby of the 7th floor. Some people were gathered on the couches, so he hastily lightened the load on his shoulder.

At some point he realized this floor had offices, and offices had hardworking secretaries. One thing lead to another, and he ended up giving cookies to a ton of older women who called him cute and promised treats in return. He asked the last secretary on the floor, a grumpy-looking lady who was actually very sweet, where he might find Angeal Hewely's office.

Two floors up and another happy assistant later, Cloud found himself in Angeal's office for the first time. His friend wasn't in, but Ms. Deb (said happy assistant) reassured him it would be but five minutes. The room wasn't what Cloud had expected it to be. The walls were very plain, no paint or pictures or knick-knacks. A single fern was propped up against a window, almost precariously. The bookshelf had tons of large, unlabeled binders and instructional manuals, with a whole shelf on the bottom row empty. Cloud ran a hand on Angeal's desk, the wood smooth and heavy beneath. No dust.

Everything was clean and organized, if not a bit impersonal. Perhaps Angeal wasn't that jovial at work as he was at his garden, which made sense, given it was the commander's personal sanctuary. He was just about to sit in Angeal's chair (because c'mon, why not) when the door opened. Cloud flailed to get away from the chair as fast as humanly possible, which lead to his foot snagging at the corner of the desk.

"Cloud?"

The cadet winced from his position on the floor, "Er. Hi, Angeal."

Warm hands gently propped him to his knees, and helped him stand, "Is something wrong? I don't think you've ever sought me outside the garden before…"

Cloud smoothed the wrinkles from his burgundy button-down, for once feeling on-par with Angeal's wardrobe. Looking up at his friend, Cloud responded, "Oh, nothing is wrong. I just wanted to give you something."

The blond shuffled around his cookie supply to find the best-looking bag, "I've been giving cookies to people today, and I wanted you to have some."

Angeal took the offering with a chuckle, "Thank you Cloud. Did you make them yourself?"

Cloud felt himself getting lost in Angeal's kind eyes. He was just as inviting as he was in the garden, even though his office portrayed none of that. Maybe if he convinced Ms. Deb they could make his office homier. Some paint and landscape portraits-

 _Focus, loverboy._

Cloud flushed at the jab and quickly responded to Angeal's earlier question, "Yeah. I had help, and I didn't make them very well-"

A hand on his shoulder stopped his second-guessing, "I'm sure they will taste wonderful, Cloud. It's the thought that counts anyhow. Have you gone to- Sephiroth come on, stop lurking in the doorway."

"I'm not lurking," the General protested while moving into the room, "I'm observing."

Cloud, still revved from all the people he met, boldly asked, "Should I be saluting you or….?"

Sephiroth raised a brow and glanced at Angeal before responding, "I suppose not. You have my permission to greet as you see fit when we are not around others."

"What an honor," Angeal drawled playfully.

Sephiroth glared.

"Uh, General? Or Sephiroth if you prefer?" At the lack of an answer, Cloud continued, "I know you have a sweet tooth-"

Angeal guffawed behind him, "How does he know that?"

"I went to get a beverage yesterday and he was taking my order. And no, Cadet, I don't have a 'sweet tooth' as you say. I sometimes partake in treats that are to my liking."

"Sweet tooth," Angeal conspiratorially whispered in Cloud's ear.

Before Sephiroth could respond, Cloud had shoved some cookies into his hand and was halfway through the door, "I won't tell a soul, Sir!"

"Could you go to the garden around seven tonight, Cloud?" Angeal slipped in as Cloud hastily retreated. A rapid head nod was his answer.

As soon as the door shut, Angeal smirked at his annoyed-but-not-really friend. Trying not to smile in amusement, the general felt a wave of giddiness. How long had it been since he'd seen his friend grin so? He admired the crinkles next to the commander's eyes, "Do you think the cookies are any good?"

Angeal walked around his desk to collapse on his chair, "Uh. I don't know. I've only known Gardener Cloud, not Baker Cloud."

"I've known Barista Cloud," Sephiroth unhelpfully inputted. He'd been diverting the conversation for too long, but it was difficult to bring up the topic of his choice. Misery was not something the General boded with well, and these past few friendless weeks had been full of it.

"I wanted to ask you about that. Why the hell was he taking a beverage order for you?" Angeal replied. It seemed that his friend was just as eager to have the inevitable talk. Caught between entertaining their distraction and getting to the point, Sephiroth paused to gather his bearings.

"It's Yule. I originally meant to try to settle a dispute between the three of us, but I remember Genesis once getting angry at me for being 'grumpy' on Yule."

Angeal nodded in acknowledgement, "I remember that too."

They sat in silence until the general loudly opened his gift, "Let's try these. If we don't like them we can always dishonorably discharge him."

"Was that a joke?"

"We'll see."

* * *

Huffs of air left Cloud as he walked around HQ grounds.

Today was the coldest day he'd experienced since having left Nibelheim, but that didn't deter him from his mission. After staring at the last two bags for a couple minutes, Cloud had decided to leave one in the library for Genesis. The last bag was more difficult to give away. Everyone he saw already got one, or didn't want any. Cloud figured the people he hadn't already seen were out and about.

To be honest, not many chose to walk around the grounds. Cloud rarely saw people other than himself braving the cold for some fresh air (or as fresh as you could get it in this city). In the distance, near the trees, Cloud could see a lone figure.

 _Don't freak out._

Why would he freak out? More intrigued than worried (because he'd just given cookies to the Turk leader and the freaking General), Cloud took purposeful steps to the stranger.

Only it wasn't a stranger at all.

 _It's okay Cloud-_

It was Zack. He could tell from the spikes of hair and posture. The blond pursed his lips and spun around, intent on leaving as silently as he came. He was not ready for his confrontation.

 _Listen to me, Cloud. If you do not do this our deal will be void. Is that what you want?_

"I'd rather have that than do this now," The cadet softly confessed, fully aware of the enhanced hearing Zack had.

 _Isn't forgiveness a kind of gift?_

"You're just spinning this to get me to do something I don't want to!" Cloud angrily whispered.

 _Forgiveness is the greatest gift, and it takes strength of character to make that first contact-_

"This isn't fair. Do you think I like lying to him, to everyone? I have to. I have zero choice. Even if we do make up I'll still have to lie, and we'll come to the same disagreement over and over until he realizes that I'm a terrible friend and wants nothing to do with me. "

 _Things happen for a reason, Cloud._

While he was tired of hearing that line over and over, Cloud couldn't find it in himself to fight. Tugging at stray spikes, he whispered, "What do I need to do?"

 _Just give him some cookies. That is all I ask to complete our deal._

Slow footsteps lead him to Zack. Though he was making enough noise to alert the soldier, there was no indication that Zack knew he was there. A foot or two away Cloud uncertainly licked his lips, "…Zack?"

Zack whirled around and surprised violet eyes met his, "…uh. I didn't think that was you behind me."

Zack looked a little frazzled, which was new to the cadet. His hair was not in a neat, organized sweep like it normally was. Some stray strands poked here and there, making him seem more like a porcupine. Shoulders low and hands in his pockets, the cadet marveled at how downtrodden his friend looked. Cloud bit back questions he didn't want answers to and offered the last bag, "I made a bunch of cookies for Yule. Would you like some?"

At Zack's blank stare he began to ramble, "They aren't very good and I tried my best but we both know I'm not good at cooking. Remember that time you tried to make your own pizza and forgot to put foil underneath it in the oven and it kinda just collapsed and started a fire? That almost happened to me yesterday-"

"Cloud."

That meant shut-up. The blond bit his bottom lip and continued to hold the bag of cookies out for Zack to take. He blinked when Zack came closer to him, and closer, and why the hell was he so close? Arms came around his back and brought him flush to another body. Zack was hugging him. There had been so many kinds of hugs with his best friend: The bro-hug, the tackle-hug, the glomping hug and the cheer-up hug. This, this was something different.

Cloud felt his arms go up to embrace his friend too, almost automatically. They stayed there for a moment, enjoying the first interaction they had with each other in months.

"We need to talk about what happened, but I don't want to do that today. It's Yule, and I want to spend it with my best bud. Let's put off the difficult stuff for later, yeah?"

Cloud inhaled the spicy, musky scent of his best friend's soap and buried his head more firmly into Zack's chest, "Yes please."

And just like that Zack was all smiles and wide gestures, "You get your clothes, I'll get the food. Don't look at me all confused - you're sleeping over tonight Spike! And you better be prepared for some embarrassment, cause I got better at every video game I own while you were gone. Ten minutes! My place!"

Like a tornado, the first class flew past him and into the building. Cloud stood there for a few seconds before chuckling to himself.

 _See?_

Cloud tiredly nodded before making his way to the barracks. Frustrated grunts and riveted chatter was the first thing he heard when he entered. Gaia, it was going to be so nice sleeping away from his bunkmates. After bundling up his clothes and toothbrush Cloud's gaze passed over the clock mounted on the wall, 7:13. Wasn't he supposed to?

 _Yes, you were supposed to._

Not helping! Cloud booked it like hell to the garden, hoping that Angeal wouldn't be mad at him. A few stressful minutes later found him looking around an empty courtyard. Panting loudly, Cloud walked around their tall fennel towers and now-leafless trees. Nothing.

 _Look over there, by the rosemary._

The teen's eyebrows furrowed as he saw some shiny stuff by his favorite plant. Litter? Bending down to free his charge from the trash, Cloud started when he realized it wasn't trash at all. It was a Yule present in wrapping paper and a tag atop that read: To Cloud, From Angeal. The kid inside him exploded and he tore the box open. His cold hand reached soft fabric, clothes?

"Angeal…" Cloud whined aloud. Inside the present were two scarves, a couple of sweaters, and a nice, heavy coat. Overemotional and feeling a little too loved, Cloud picked up his box and walked slowly to Zack's apartment. What had he done to garner so much attention and care? How had he met more people in a day than he had his whole life combined?

 _Give kindness to the world, and the world will give kindness back to you._

Glybie's words made his heart swell. He couldn't deny that this was one of the best Yules he had ever had in his life. To spend the rest of the day with Zack and to know he wanted to be friends as much as Cloud did was more than he had hoped for.

"Our deal is done. What is it that I need to know?" He asked the Giving God while walking to Zack's. There was an odd pause that Cloud couldn't identify, and then a reassuring wave.

 _Don't worry about that now. Enjoy your night, we will talk tomorrow._

There was something in that response, in that tone, that made Cloud very self-aware. The positive feelings were now replaced with suspicion and trepidation. He was getting into something dangerous, and he could feel it now. Standing in front of Zack's doorway, the cadet began to legitimately worry about the events that would unfold. Somehow, it all started with the Giving God's explanation.

 _Do not let this ruin your night, Cloud. You've done a great job today, and you deserve to bask in it. Merry Yule._

"Spike! I've been waiting for you to knock for like 5 minutes. Why are you just standing out here?" Zack playfully asked, one hand on the door and the other on a hip.

Cloud shook his head, "Sorry Zack. I was lost in thought. Can I put my stuff right here-"

"Is that a present for me?!" Zack interjected, picking up the box, "Why is it unwrapped, though?"

The blond snatched it away from him, "It's my present from Angeal. By the way, I know your mentor."

Zack didn't look surprised, but exclaimed, "What?! When did you meet him?"

Cloud settled on the couch for a good long talk while Zack listened from the kitchen. Both kept their smiles to themselves in the separate rooms. While Zack made them hot chocolate, Cloud recounted Angeal's tendency to sneak up on him, which granted him as a similar story from Zack. Cloud took in the apartment that he used to be in every other day and hoped that routine became normalcy again. There were still issues that needed to be brought up and resolved, but for now this was enough.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for your support! Please review and let me know if anything needs to be clarified/corrected.


	8. Chapter 8

I'm back and I brought with me the longest chapter of this story yet!

Enjoy reading and don't forget to review.

* * *

Dear Mom,

Sorry for not writing. I got your letters, and yes, I am doing okay. No, I'm not only eating junk food. Yes, I have made some new friends. I don't know when I'll visit. I miss you.

Cloud

The spiky-haired cadet grimaced at the nonchalant tone of his letter. It wasn't that he didn't like his mom; he loved her. It was just hard to share without sharing too much. He considered elaborating on the kind of food their cafeteria sold, perhaps throwing in an anecdote about the case of food poisoning that happened last month but settled firmly on not worrying her further. Maybe he could talk about Angeal? Genesis? The rift he had with Zack and the subsequent makeup?

Cloud sighed and collapsed his head onto his arms, the standard, military issue dorm desk cold beneath him. How could he explain his formidable absence from correspondence without sounding like a brat?

 _Write for yourself first. Write what has been bothering you and cross out what you don't want to include after._

Cloud blinked in response, mulling the idea over. It sounded like more work than necessary.

 _Sometimes talking to others helps us understand ourselves._

He wasn't dumb. This was some sort of test for him; a way for the Glybie to see if he was "truly ready" for the information that should have been fessed up weeks ago. It had been the deal- Give to others, as per the Giving God's demands, and receive information about the strange dreams he'd been having (the ones that started so many years ago, with the ever-dawning skies and foggy valley floors beneath him. He was always looking down on the world, on a place he'd never seen before. There was a woman next to him; he could see her from his peripheral vision. She knew something- she needed something, but he could never move nor hear in these visions. At 13, he woke to the sound of a light and fair voice whispering "Midgar" in his ear. The same day he saw the Great General Sephiroth on the TV of the bar in Nibelheim, giving a speech at their headquarters in, what do you know, Midgar).

Dear Mom,

You used to say that hard times were challenges that Nibel sent our way to make us stronger. That Gaia would never throw more on us that we could handle. That some things are meant to be- like the color of my eyes and dad leaving us, but I'm starting to feel like these aren't true at all. I'm starting to feel like things are spiraling out of control and all I have left are these stories you used to tell me when I was young. I keep thinking, 'I should be braver. I should be stronger. I should be more willing to accept these challenges.' Like the heroes in those stories. I don't know. I don't really know what I'm doing anymore.

The cadet let out a ragged sigh before taking the paper and tearing it up into pieces, eventually forming a ball that would miss his trash can entirely.

Dear Mom,

How are you? I miss you very much. I'm not doing very well as a cadet here, but I'm going to start trying harder from now on. The exams aren't until the end of the year, but it's crazy how much time you have to put in to get results. I have a few new friends now, both 1st class SOLDIERS. Do you remember that recruitment catalog I got a long time ago? The one with General Sephiroth on the front and two other guys on the back? Yeah. I'm pretty good friends with those two. Angeal – he's the dark-haired one you said you wouldn't mind 'getting a moment with' (yeah, I still remember that Mom), well you're about to like him a whole lot more.

He gardens. A lot. All the time. I help out occasionally, but he does most of the work. He actually got me a present for Yule. I loved the sweater you sent me, by the way. The cold sucks over here and I needed something to keep me warm. Did you get mine yet?

"unnng…" Cloud exhaled while he scanned over the letter. Was this okay? He rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness (a habit he picked up from Zack recently) before setting the paper to the side.

Dear Mom,

Things have been crazy here. Remember Zack? Well, he and I had a pretty big falling out a couple of months ago. It hasn't been a great time for me, but we're on speaking terms now. The original problem hasn't been resolved, and I worry that maybe we're both too chocobo to settle it fully. I don't know, Mom. Confrontation has never been my thing.

I'm doing way better at my academic courses than I am at my physical ones. Still the smallest one in my unit, and I don't think I'm going to get any taller. Thanks for that, by the way. You couldn't have married some gargantuan? I swear, my size is the only problem. Though I guess I should thank you for the eyes- Angeal said they were pretty.

"Noooooooooo." Cloud groaned at the pen in his hand that kept writing stuff he didn't want to say. In similar fashion to his first letter attempt, he tore up the paper and missed the trash can again. Letters were the worst. The frustrated teen tugged over the only draft that he could stomach, re-reading his loopy sprawl and chewing on his bottom lip.

I would write more, but I'm having a hard time getting it all out. Please be patient with me, Mom. I'll tell you more in the next letter.

Thanks and I'm sorry,

Cloud

* * *

"Do you write a lot?"

Genesis quirked a slender brow at him before turning his attention back to the leather-bound book in his hand. Turns out Genesis held grudges. How could Cloud have known? It had finally stopped raining and the cadet could hear occasional drops left over from the afternoon storm tapping at the windows. It was a good day to read, and he hadn't had much time to do it lately. Most of his work was now done and the New Year influx of work finally dwindled with the end of January.

It was a good day to read- yes. It was not a good day to figure out that Genesis had expected him to leave some sort of indication for his prolonged absence. Since he didn't want the commander to figure out who he was (yes, that deception was still happening), he had said something along the lines of, "Nobody's business but my own."

That didn't go over well. He did not yell or argue, but the commander made his mood quite clear. Genesis simply sat down on his side of the couch, opened his book, and hadn't spoken or looked at him since. It hurt a lot more than Cloud thought it would.

He apprehensively cleared his throat and tried again, "Do you write often?"

Genesis languidly turned a page, "Nobody's business but my own."

Ouch.

"Okay, Okay. I get it, Genesis. You're mad at me," Cloud picked up his makeshift bookmark- some thrice folded notes from his materia class last month- and slipped it into his book, "I'll just leave."

A furtive hand grasped his wrist just as he'd gotten up.

"Don't."

They stayed like that for a few seconds, listening to the drips of water beyond the room. It was all so…dramatic. Very dramatic for a cause so small. Cloud had heard through the grapevine that Genesis Rhapsodos liked to make a big deal out of things, often just for the sake of entertainment. He wondered if this was one of those times.

Being the obliging teen that he was, Cloud waited till the moment felt right before breathing, "Give me a reason to stay."

Oh man he sounded ridiculous and it should have woken Genesis up from his tantrum- key word being should. His heart beat sped up as he felt the older man stand and move closer, hand still holding his wrist.

The commander's breath tickled the hairs on the nape of his neck as he whispered, "Stay for me."

At the sound of his tenor voice- light and demanding and just a little bit rough- Cloud felt his back arch involuntarily and his breath hitch. Hands circled around either sides of his hips, ghosting up and down them ever so briefly- and Genesis was so much closer than before-trailing soft lips over the back of his neck- lightly enough to make Cloud wonder if it was an accident. His heart was hammering in his too- hot chest above his too-tight pants and it was getting very hard to recall what he was doing before this. Lips touched the shell of his ear,

"Just kidding."

Cold air hit Cloud as he blearily blinked his eyes. What? He turned to see Genesis casually walking to an aisle in the back, not bothering to turn to him as he spoke, "See you tomorrow, Cloud."

The cadet stood frozen in place, a mixture of confusion and attraction flowing through his suddenly chilled body.

"Yeah. See you tomorrow," The blond spoke uncertainly before booking it out to the main lobby. He collapsed onto one of the waiting benches and watched a few people pass by before letting the full force of the event settle. What the hell was that? Was it innocent fun- or maybe malicious teasing? Were there other people that Genesis had so brazenly acted with? Did this count as sexual harassment?

"Spike!"

Zack's voice reverberated in the quiet lobby, making Cloud wince. Zack was amazing, but he was also loud. Previous thoughts flew out the window as his best friend squatted down to chat, "Hi Zack."

"Hey yourself," he responded with a happy smile, "whatcha doing out here? I thought you said you were going to be busy today?"

Busy today?

"Uh…when did I say that?"

"Are you busy? Today? Tonight?"

Suspicion and dread filled Cloud's stomach as he strangled out an unsure, "N-No?"

Zack's face lit up in pure joy as he punched his fist into the air, "Yes! I knew your plans might have changed since I asked weeks ago. Boy- I bet you Kunsel will be super surprised! See you tonight!"

And before Cloud had a chance to get a word in edgewise, Zack had taken off into the distance. He stared incredulously at the back of his best friend before digging out his rarely-used PHS. Tapping on Zack's contact, he sent him a text as fast as he could.

Cloud: What is happening

There.

Wait.

Cloud: In regards to the thing tonight

Good.

He made his way to the elevators with a sigh, fully intent on hiding out on his bed until he was forcibly dragged out by Zack for some mystery reason. A ping caught his attention just as he pushed the button to his floor.

Zack: C U THERE

It answered absolutely nothing.

Cloud: Zack. I don't know where to go.

Zack: MY PLACE

Cloud: I don't have clearance

The cadet managed to make his bed and lay down on it before an a sound caught his attention once more.

Zack: GO 2 ANGEALS HE'LL COME W/ U

"Moron," Cloud breathed out fondly into the empty room.

Cloud: If I don't have clearance to go to your apartment why the hell would I have clearance to go to Angeal's?

Zack: I ASKED HIM 2 PICK U UP

"He's a moron!" Cloud exclaimed while jumping to his feet, suddenly light-headed and nervous. What was this thing he was going to? Why would Angeal be there too? High-profile events like SOLDIER Gala and Midgar City Spotlight ran through his head; was it possible that he forgot one of them was tonight? Why was he invited?

Cloud: What is happening tonight? Why will Angeal be there? How do I need to dress?

The blonde nervously bit his lip and rubbed his thumb across the bright messaging screen. He needed to back out. Fast. Who knew what kind of event this thing was?

Zack: ANGEAL WILL PICK U UP 8PM

Cloud barely had time to read it before Zack elaborated.

Zack: COME NAKED

He bit his tongue in suppressed rage and clutched the phone tightly. He could decide to just…not be here when Angeal arrived, but Angeal had nothing to do with Zack's stupid, secretive plans. Maybe he could just explain to Angeal that he was busy after all? Or he was sick? Would he be offended?

Cloud sat back down gingerly and narrowed his eyes in thought. What if this a get together of Angeal's? He didn't want to offend anyone. Subtracting his hands from his face, Cloud forcefully pressed buttons on his PHS.

Cloud: I HATE YOU

* * *

All things considered, it could have gone much, much worse.

Angeal had picked him up and immediately specified where they were going, exasperated by his protégé's- no, now ex-protégé's- inability to provide information. Cloud breathed out in tension as an awkwardness filled the trip from his room to Zack's. A glance in Angeal's direction proved fruitless; he actually seemed just as unsure about going to this event as he was.

"Do you often go to these?" He asked as Angeal placed swiped his keycard at Zack's door.

Angeal looked at the door thoughtfully and placed a hand on the door handle, "Not exactly. This isn't really my idea of a fun night, but Genesis and Sephiroth will be here as well. Genesis has a way of taking attention off of us and Sephiroth is going to be just as bored and lost as I." He chuckled heartily, drawing Cloud's eyes to his crooked grin, "You'll see. Find me if it gets to be too much. I'm always in the back left corner."

With that, Angeal opened the door to Kunsel's Birthday Party. The front room was dark, save for the bright screen of a laptop, clumsily hooked up to Zack's surround sound. The song was a new release- Cloud had been hearing it all over his barracks for the past few days. Angeal closed the door behind him, gave a two-finger salute that Zack had definitely copied a few times, and walked through the crowded room like it was nothing. He was alone. Great. Fighting down the abject awkwardness, Cloud began to walk through the area.

He smelled smoke. Suspicious smoke. Like…

Like drug smoke.

Cloud was fully aware that Midgar was a much more open and, err, diverse city. His mother had, no joke, spent the last two weeks before he shipped off to ShinRa pre-reprimanding him for things he'd do in Midgar. Until now, the blond had thought that maybe it had all been rumors, but maybe this was proof that he'd been trapped in his own bubble for too long.

 _You've been helping us. It's admirable._

Cloud didn't bother responding to the Giving God. Their deal had gone on too long, and Cloud was getting the feeling that he was being held back because of it. A sudden jab to his side threw him from his thoughts and he turned to see a group of 3rds aggressively taking shots. Wasn't Zack worried that this would get out of hand?

He bit his lip and looked around again, feeling like an outsider. He just knew this would be the result of the night. He blinked and a mop of red was in front of him.

"Reno? What are you doing here?" He asked curiously, wincing at the flashing lights hooked up at a corner of the room.

"WHAT?" Reno asked, "YOU HAFFTA SPEAK LOUDER!"

Cloud inhaled and yelled over the music, "WHY ARE YOU HERE?"

Reno's mouth made an 'o' in understanding and he nodded, "Why else yo? To have some fun!" The turk suddenly wigged his hips with the heavy bass in the room, seemingly lost in his own world. Cloud furrowed his eyebrows and wondered if he was expected to wait until Reno was done to continue the conversation. He crossed his arms and watched Reno goof around for a good minute. The intoxicated turk raised his hands in the air with his bright green eyes closed, yelling along words that barely passed as lyrics to the music.

Cloud pursed his lips and slowly stepped away, wondering where the hell he was supposed to go next. Little cliques and pairs of people segregated themselves from the dance crowd: A couple of pairs making out next to Zack's TV (where it was darkest), some playing a drinking game (looked like Blitzbeer), and others talking in private circles. Why was he even here?

Blue eyes locked on a familiar form on the edge of the crowd. They squinted to make out a neck craned upwards, a tight black V-neck clinging to the same chest that gave him hugs every day, toned arms wrapped around the waist of some guy Cloud had never seen before, hips gyrating together-

Oh.

Apparently Zack liked to dance.

Like that.

"Like what you see?"

Cloud jumped at the voice in his ear, hoping the dim lighting hid his flush, "N-NO!" A quick turn granted him a full view of the suave bibliophile he'd come to know so well. "Genesis. I heard you'd be here," he breathed, trying like hell to make a social recovery.

The commander brushed some imaginary fuzz from his black slacks, "Of course I'm here. Everyone wants me at their parties."

"Oh good. I was afraid that you wouldn't be a cocky bastard outside the library," Cloud teased.

Genesis smirked and adjusted the collar of his navy button down, "No. That would be hypocritical. Almost like someone who hides in a library all day due to his 'delicate reputation' going to a party mixed with higher officials and gossipy 3rds."

Cloud smiled at Genesis appraisingly, "Well, Mr. Rhapsodos, I've gotta find a reason to stay on the run." His eyes locked on his friend's half-full cup, and on a whim plucked it out of his hand, "Thanks for the drink."

Something akin of adrenaline flew through Cloud's veins as he stole away through the crowd. After a few pushes and wiggles through open spaces, the cadet found himself getting used to the atmosphere. This wasn't so bad he mused as he took a sip of Genesis' red wine (wow it was good). A chuckle escaped him as he witnessed Kunsel stumble into a wall and apologize. The birthday boy's entourage dissolved into a fit of unabashed laughter. Was Cloud imagining things, or was that one guy crying?

Kunsel loudly protested the teasing comments coming from his friends and scanned the room, coming to meet eyes with the cadet Zack always went on and on and on about. "Oooo!" He yelled while making his way to Cloud.

Let me tell you, being approached by several drunk superiors, one of which was crying and the rest laughing hysterically, did not do wonders for Cloud's party anxiety. Much like a Chocobo on its first racing day, he froze at Kunsel's advance. He rubbed clammy hands down his black jeans, wondering if Kunsel would want to be saluted or have his hand shook. Then again, this was Zack's friend. Maybe just a wave?

"Cloud! I know you Cloud! Wait! Where are you going?!" Kunsel questioned in dismay.

Cloud's head as he speed-walked away was a mantra of "Nope nope nope". He did not want to deal with drunk, loud Soldiers. Mama Strife suddenly made an unwelcome appearance in place of his "nope nope nope's", and the blond winced at how mad she would be if she knew he went to a birthday party only to literally run away from the guest of honor.

 _It is pretty rude, Cloud._

"Shut up!" Cloud hissed to Glybie, beyond done with having this specific God in his head. An excuse, what excuse could he make for walking away?

The card!

He smiled gleefully and pulled out said card from his back pocket, alongside a packet of jelly beans (it was the only thing he had on such short notice). He turned to locate the birthday boy once more only to come face to face with him, "ARG. WHAT THE HELL?!"

Cloud clutched a hand to his chest as Kunsel let out a full-bellied laugh, "Sweet Shiva. Why would you do that?"

The older boy wiped a tear from his eye as he tried to talk between chuckles, "I don't know, but it was great. Why did you run off? Was it to get that? What is that? Is it for me? Is it a card?!"

Cloud found his respect for the man decreasing swiftly as he swung to evade the birthday boy's grabby hands, "Yes it's a card! Let me give it to you like a normal person, ARG!" Cloud grunted in defeat. It was only a matter of time until Kunsel got the better of him anyway, he mused as the card was snatched (a Second Class versus a Cadet just wasn't fair). He brought a hand to his head in resignation.

"HA." Kunsel jibed, proudly holding the envelope and accompanying jelly beans. In fact, at seeing the jelly beans the man froze and studied Cloud carefully, suddenly cautious and interested. Cloud discretely attempted to move away from Zack's crazy friend, but stopped when Kunsel breathed, "Cloud. Did you write me a love letter?"

Oh my fucking God.

"NO!"

Kunzel's face broke out into a 100-watt smile, "Is it a love letter for Zack?!"

WHAT

"W-WHAT NO!" He yelled in a panic, incredulous that things had devolved so suddenly.

"Cloud, Cloud buddy," The second-class loudly whispered while shrugging an arm around his shoulders, "You're golden. Just tell him and I guarantee you things are gonna work-"

"I HAVE NOTHING TO TELL HIM," Cloud insisted as he pushed the Man's arm off of him.

Kunzel squinted his eyes at the cadet, leaning in far too close to comfort. Cloud waited with baited breath for the okay to leave and never, ever, come back. Quick as a fire3 Kunsel turned to his right and screamed, "ZACK YOU HAVE A LOVE LETTER!"

Cloud legitimately considered jumping out the window behind him.

 _You're being dramatic._

The blond was about to respond with something he'd definitely regret saying to a divine being when he saw Zack lock eyes with Kunsel and himself. The brunettes signature smile lit up the room momentarily, and pushing a hand to his dancing partner's chest he suavely left the floor in favor of coming over. And Gaia damn it Cloud tried not to see how that black shirt was sticking to his best friend from the hot room, tried not to recall the way he moved against his dancing partner, tried not to be happy that Zack had chosen them over whoever that was. Tried and failed.

"Hey Spike," Zack spoke, and to Cloud's ear it sounded a little husky. Kind of like what he'd sound like if he were-

 _Whoa. Cloud. I'm right here._

"H-Hi Zack!" Cloud yelled, desperate to drown Glybie's words and his own embarrassment.

Zack crossed his arms and tilted his head as he examined Cloud. Stuttered response, check. Red face, check. Panicy look in the eyes, check. The second class smiled indulgently and turned to Kunsel, "Have you been flirting with my Cloudy?"

Zack ignored Cloud's indignant squawk at the "my Cloudy" bit and added, "Cause he's off-limits, you know."

"Ohhh, I don't think he's your Cloudy anymore," Kunsel responded slyly, "He's just given me a love letter."

Chuckling at his drunk friend's antics, Zack admonished, "Kuns, you gotta lay off the shots. There's no way Cloud gave you-" The soldier's sentence slammed to a halt as Kunsel brought the letter in question up to his face, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

"He's cute. Would you care if I went for it?"

All good humor vanished as Zack stared at the envelope with Kunsel's name written in Cloud's loopy sprawl. No way.

"Cloud is this true?" He inquired, voice much softer and serious than he intended it to be. At the lack of an answer he shifted his gaze to the now empty space that Cloud had occupied. Well, that was too incriminating for comfort.

"Gimmie that letter," Zack demanded from his intoxicated friend, who giggled obnoxiously and tore off into the dance floor. Never one to back down from a challenge, Zack furrowed his eyebrows and gave chase.

Off in the only secluded spot in the room, Genesis hummed in interest, "Isn't that interesting. What do you think happened over there?"

The commander threw a questioning look at his companions when no answers came.

Sephiroth made steady eye contact while Angeal struggled to avoid it. Things had been awkward since they'd huddled in their little corner. Zack had fast caught on to their group separation weeks ago and threatened to "spam them pictures of one another until everyone cried" unless they all came to his party. A year ago they'd gone to Zack's social gatherings consistently and without protest because, well, it was fun to people watch.

Sephiroth, for all his infinite wisdom, did not understand party behavior. And Angeal, bless his honorable soul, saw troops he liked getting wasted and had to be told not to steal drinks out of other peoples' hands ("Geal. It's a party. You can't just take away drinks and lecture them about restraint," Zack had said once). So understandably, Genesis had hoped that this party was exactly what they all needed to band back together.

It wasn't going well.

His slender hand ran though auburn hair in aggravation, "Fine, you two. If you want to abandon all of our good times because of a few uncomfortable tiffs, go on ahead. I'm done being the only one willing to fix this."

"It seems that the blond gave a letter of affection to Zack's friend," A smooth baritone spoke, drowning Genesis' anger immediately. He had no idea that Zack knew his library companion. Taking a considering sip from his second cup of red wine (the first having been acquisitioned from the blond in question), Genesis shifted himself to face the last member of their group that hadn't weighed in.

Angeal opened his mouth and then closed it before sighing, "I'm sorry Gen. I didn't hear your question." He flinched at the suppressed rage his childhood friend shot at him, "I was distracted. Sorry."

"How could you be distracted?!" Genesis implored, "Virtually nothing is going on except that dramatic number with your puppy!"

Right on beat, Kunsel ran past them laughing manically. Angeal watched with growing concern as he caught his student- no ex-student – chasing the guest of honor around the room. His puppy's face was not one of playful anger or drunken focus; he actually looked quite desperate. Before he could inquire about the scene Genesis witnessed Sephiroth asked, "What captured your attention, Angeal?"

The burly first was unsure if he should respond honestly. With Genesis' earlier statements ringing in his head, he opted for vague openness.

"I made a friend a while back. I just saw him doing something I never pictured him doing. Not that I would ever want to picture it, I just, you know-"

"Are you rambling?" Genesis interjected, "Who is it? Why haven't you told us?"

"We haven't been talking at all until tonight, Genesis. He wouldn't have had the opportunity to tell us," Sephiroth reasoned.

Angeal ran a hand down his face, "I met him in the garden. He was the one who had been tending my plants-"

"Oh you finally met them!"

"Genesis let Angeal finish talking."

"Don't tell me what to do-"

"I'm advising that you give our friend the chance to-"

"You know what? I'm just gonna interrupt more."

Another sigh escaped Angeal before he could stop it, and it had the effect of thunder. His friends shut up and waited awkwardly for the conversation to continue.

"Yes, Gen. He was the one taking care of my plants when I was away. We've been working on the garden together and he's very sweet, albeit a little young and naïve. This is the last place I thought I'd see him."

"Show me," Genesis demanded as he walked over to Angeal's spot. He traced the line from Angeal's finger to the distance in front of them, once, twice, thrice to be sure that his conclusion was correct. Right there, being danced on by two 3rds, was Cloud.

"What is happening," Cloud deadpanned from his spot between Mathewson and some other Third he didn't know. He'd successfully escaped Zack and Kunsel by floating into the busy dance floor, but his freedom had been short lived. Mathewson had waved him over and introduced him to a group he didn't know, leading with, "This is the guy who made the Yule cookies."

Turns out people liked his cookies. The introductions had leaded to an impromptu dance session, in which Cloud realized he had been sandwiched.

"I don't dance well!" Cloud nervously spoke.

Mathewson winked at him and wound an arm around his waist, "Don't worry about it! Just move!"

Tonight was the night from hell.

 _Not yet._

Not yet? What was that supposed to mean?

Cloud jumped as Mathewson's hands pushed on either sides of his hips, encouraging him to dance. The guy from behind him cheered, "Get it Cloud!" And though he did not want to particularly 'get it', he was feeling pretty good from the wine and the promise of new friends. Laughter escaped him as the guy from behind mimicked the music's lyrics in a terrible falsetto, while pressing flush against his back.

Under normal circumstances, Cloud would never allow himself to dance in public, let alone with two other people so close to him, but why not? Maybe tonight was a sign that he needed to loosen up a little and enjoy being where he was. Beaming in sudden freedom, the cadet threw his arms up let loose.

He did not notice the so-called "Holy Trinity" of SOLDIER staring at him in recognition. He did not notice someone approaching until Mathewson stopped his movements and looked nervously over his shoulder. When he opened his eyes, he came face to face with Zack's hard stare and tense posture.

It was their argument all over again.

For the life of him, Cloud could not figure out what there was to be angry over. Judging by his friend's silence, he had a suspicion that the elder did not know either. So what was going on?

"YO!" Reno yelled, cutting in from the left to hang off of Zack's arm, "Fairpants- What's happenin'?"

Zack narrowed his eyes in irritation, "Could you give me a second, Reno?"

The blond's stomach clenched at those words. What the hell had he done to make his best friend so mad?

"Yeee Zaky," The turk drunkenly drawled, "Lemme just-"

And all the sudden the beer that was in Reno's cup was now all over Zack's shirt, "Reno! Dammit, you spilled your drink all over me!"

Cloud was just about to lower his respect for the turk a few pegs when he caught Reno's definitely-not-drunk glance and nod. It hit him- Reno was giving him an out. A few abrupt turns and a sprint to the balcony found him outside in the cool Midgar air. He'd been tempted to retreat home, but also knew Zack would check there first ("The best place to hide is right under the enemy's nose," His tactics instructor once told him).

Cloud had never been happier to be alone.

The stars too persistent to be covered by Midgar's pollution blinked peacefully as Cloud leaned his arms against the rails. Blue eyes closed to let the night wash over, bringing warmer breezes that promised Spring. Time passed by so very fast.

"Time is such an odd concept, isn't it?"

The cadet breathed in and opened his eyes to see Glybie, in all his physical glory, overlooking the city next to him. The God adjusted the beanie atop his head and steadily met Cloud's gaze.

"Are you ready, Cloud?"

Propping a hand to his cheek, the blond chuckled lowly, "Probably not."

Companionable silence drifted as they listened to the world around them. Every so often a loud fit of laughter or a triumphant yell would interrupt the quiet. If he strained his ears, Cloud could even hear the heavy bass back inside.

"Just tell me."

The Giving God paused from scratching the stubble on his cheeks. A few terse moments passed before Glybie turned to him.

"First off, I want you to know that you aren't alone," he spoke softly as Cloud mirrored his stance, "But you have to both make and keep connections with others. That goes for us divine folk as well as your friends. Don't look at me like that- you'll need your friends just as much as you'll need us for the challenges that face you."

The cadet nodded apprehensively.

Glybie frowned deeply and fixated his eyes on the city, "Things have been happening. Gods and Goddesses, minor ones, have been disappearing. We don't know how or why."

"Did they decide to leave, or was it forced?"

"Can't say. It doesn't bode well in any case. Some others that think there's a correlation between a new spirit and the disappearances. "

Cloud tapped his fingers thoughtfully, "Who is the new spirit?"

"New in our standards, but most likely old to you. It's been around for a few decades, dormant and quiet. Something happened years back, before you were even born, and all the sudden the spirit became active. No one bothered to investigate, though. We keep to our own. "

"Do you know anything more about it? And what it has to do with me?"

Glybie grimaced, "You've met it, Cloud. More than once. Or rather, it has sought you more than once. As far as I know, the spirit hasn't approached anyone else."

Dread curled in the pit of his stomach, but he kept a steady voice as he asked, "When? I've met so many of you I wouldn't be able to place the spirit on that description."

"Have you ever felt something watching you when you're alone? Like someone was creeping up behind you when there wasn't anyone around?"

Blue eyes widened as he recalled those moments vividly: When he was lost during the snowstorm as a child, when Carpo ushered him out the library but denied a cause, when he met Glybie,

"In the alleyway."

The Giving God nodded in confirmation. Cloud's heart began beating faster as he processed the idea of being approached by a potentially violent spirit. But the thing was- he already had, multiple times. What was he supposed to do? What did it want with him? Why was Glybie telling him anything if Cloud had no way to fight back-

"Calm down, Cloud," the Elder implored, "I can only continue if you calm down."

Cloud pursed his lips and said nothing.

"I don't know what he or she wants with you, but I can say with certainty that it has to do with your ability to speak with us."

"Like there aren't others that can speak to you," Cloud smarted, "Priests and Priestesses are still around in parts of Gaia. I'm nothing special, and at least those people have been trained to communicate."

"Cloud. It is because you can speak with us despite never having received training. That is why the spirit is interested in you. I can't say for certain, Kid, but I have a feeling that you are capable of more than anyone else that communicates with the divine. It's possible that the spirit is working toward a goal and you've shown it that you have the talents necessary to stop him or her."

"What a joke. What could I do?" Cloud scoffed.

"Hey!" Glybie quipped sharply, "I don't want to hear a comment like that again. If this spirit has a plan to mess up our world then that means everything you know and everyone you love may be in danger. You are all we've got."

"Wait. Are you asking me to figure this all out?! How the hell am I supposed to do that?!"

"I have no idea. There's one lead that is extremely vague and may not even help. "

"What is it?!" Cloud demanded. He had suspected that whatever Glybie had to say was big, but nothing could have prepared him for this amount of responsibility.

"Stain glass."

Cloud waited until he was sure that was all the Giving God was going to give before sassing, "Stain glass."

Glybie nodded, "Yep. That's it. Just stain glass."

Cloud opted not to ask about this lead's origin and ran a hand though his spikes, "Okay. Stain glass. Am I looking for a place or is it a code? Maybe I have to find someone who makes it?"

"According to my source, you've been in the vicinity of the stain glass in question. She was not clear about what it meant, nor did she say what to do after you found it."

Cloud ran a memory check for all the places he'd been. The barracks certainly didn't have it, and neither did any of classrooms or gyms. Even in Nibelheim he couldn't recall seeing any such thing. Then it hit him.

"The door! Is it the door down that hallway! On the first floor next to the library?!" He excitedly asked..no one. In fact, his mind felt curiously empty.

Glybie had vanished into thin air, and Cloud's answers with him. It was worrisome. Why would Glybie leave without a word?

It may have been a blessing in disguise, he mused, as he still needed to take a shower, finish a paper and study for an Materia exam. It was two steps toward the doorway when Cloud saw someone was standing outside of it, in clear listening distance to the very private conversation he had just ended.

The cadet swallowed down panic as he realized how much of a mess he would be in if the individual had listened in, but those worries amplified when he made eye contact with the stranger.

General Sephiroth was standing in front of him, and the look on his face confirmed Cloud's fears.

He'd heard.

* * *

Fun Note: Originally Cloud was supposed to book it outside as soon as he came into the room, but it didn't quite work out that way.

I have a question for all of you.

Right now the rating for this story is T, but I'm sliding into some scenes that may be deemed as M. How many of you are interested in lemons and the like? If I get bad responses to it, I'll make sure not to go that far. Let me know if you'd like the story to be changed to M by reviewing.

Thank you for your patience and support!


	9. Chapter 9

Hello Everyone! So sorry for the prolonged wait- I started working 6 days a week and it is exhausting. As usual, please let me know if there are any errors that need correcting or points that need clarification. Happy reading!

* * *

"What do you know about Cadet Cloud Strife?"

With narrowed eyes General Sephiroth took in the mix of incredulousness and intrigue that painted his friends' faces. It was not often that he asked for their assistance, but the weight of suspicion had towered over pride. He would not have asked them to his apartment for the sole purpose of companionship, as Genesis had far more knowledge about making a space "pleasant" and Angeal was much better at cooking. In fact, this may have been the first time he'd ever asked them to visit on his own volition.

No wonder they were confused.

"And…why would you care what we knew?" Genesis asked disinterestedly.

Years of experience told Sephiroth that this tone actually meant the exact opposite.

"Has Cloud done something wrong?" Angeal questioned concernedly.

The general cataloged this tone and expression; it was obvious that Angeal felt strongly about the boy. It was exactly that fact, coupled with Genesis' interest that had Sephiroth rethinking the idea to enlist the two in his operation. It was against policy to send men with any connections on a mission that could jeopardize the success rate. Shouldn't the same policy hold for his investigations?

"Enlighten me with your knowledge of him, and I will tell you all I know."

Angeal attempted to share a worried gaze with Genesis only to find him openly glaring at Sephiroth.

"Enlighten us first, oh Great General."

Angeal sighed without voice and surveyed the inevitable standoff. It appeared a day could not go by without the two disagreeing in some manner or fashion. He predictably was to step in and play peacemaker, listen to both sides and play therapist for his two oldest friends that suddenly couldn't get along.

The routine was just as tiring as it was months ago.

"Alright, you two," Angeal interceded while standing, "We'll get nowhere with this. Seph, since you invited us here it is your responsibility to tell us why. Gen, don't get snippy or he won't let us know at all."

The sounds of the latest week-long storm flooded the apartment in lieu of the collective silence. Sephiroth made his way to the open window and closed it to the onslaught of rain; he disliked getting everything wet but the flurried sound of wind and water calmed him. Soft pings and gusts echoed behind the glass.

"Very well. Approximately five months and 23 days ago-"

"You can't say 'approximately' and give such an exact date Seph. "

"Genesis, please do not interrupt him," Angeal scolded. When a scoff was given response from the redhead, Angeal turned to Sephiroth with an encouraging smile.

The general collected himself once more, "Approximately six or so months ago-"

Genesis snorted.

Sephiroth continued in a rushed and agitated tone, "At some point last year I met Cadet Cloud Strife for the first time. He was in front of the wooden door located in hall four."

Finding his audience suddenly attentive Sephiroth elaborated, "The wooden door with an opaque glass window. When I approached I saw him touching the frame in a most interesting manner, but I assumed that he was simply lost and curious."

"He could have been. He told me once that he got lost fairly often when coming to the library. That was probably when he first tried finding it," Genesis acutely explained.

"Even so, I can see why you are worried," Angeal spoke, "If he has returned to it…well that would bear questioning."

"Do you recall when I went to the balcony during Zackary's party?" Sephiroth questioned, "Cloud Strife was there, and he was talking to someone. He seemed very animated, perhaps even excited, and was asking about a stain glass door."

Angeal's breath hitched, "To whom was he speaking?"

"I don't know," Sephiroth admitted, "He suddenly stopped talking and turned to face me. I can tell he was not prepared to have an audience. From the look on his face I gathered that I had walked into a very private conversation."

"What did his companion look like?" Genesis asked thoughtfully.

"I don't know," The general repeated, "I saw no one else on that balcony. He saluted me and I asked him if he was well. In response, he told me that he'd had too much to drink and had a habit of talking to himself. It was lie, of course. His eyes were clear and he wasn't slurring his speech. If he had indulged that night, it must have been minuscule."

"I can definitely say he had half a cup of wine, seeing as he stole it from me. Well, what did you say then?"

"I told him to make sure he got rest and re-hydrated. He saluted me once more and then left. I surveyed ever corner of the balcony- there was no one there. The neighboring units had lights out and doors locked, and I can say with certainty that he was not using his PHS or an in-ear unit. I looked closely at his ears as he moved passed me. "

"What does this mean?" Angeal followed, "You can't possibly think he'd be with them?"

Sephiroth frowned in thought, "There have been bigger betrayals than a cadet conferring with our opposers. Besides, what is the likelihood of you two and Zachery knowing him on separate occasions? Sheer coincidence? I think not."

He let them mull the information over as he gingerly sat down in a rarely-used leather chair. Surely his instincts were not wrong. If they were, he could always count on Angeal and Genesis to confirm or deny; they were Second and Third in command based off merit.

"I'm afraid that I nothing incriminating to say," Angeal spoke first, "As I said at Zack's party, Cloud turned out to be the individual caring for the garden during my frequent absences. He was jumpy at first, but we started coming to the garden at the same time to do bigger projects, which lead to me quite enjoying his company."

Sephiroth took in the light, pleasing tone of voice Angeal carried as he described Cloud Strife. It was not the same tone he used to talk about their fellow soldiers. It most closely related to the way Angeal would speak about Zackary, or Genesis when he was absent from the room. Speaking of, Genesis did not seem aware of the distraught expression clear on his face. Sephiroth took it in before shifting his focus back to Angeal.

"He was very reluctant to open up about himself. I chalked it up to nervousness from being around a first class and some underlying self-doubts. He doesn't mind being quiet and keeping to his own. Very considerate about the plants and me. The most information I'd gotten was that he wants to be Soldier and is from Nibelheim, but you probably already know that Seph."

Indeed, he had. The first thing Sephiroth had done was look up his profile and peruse it for any eye-catching remarks.

"The report did yield some interesting information. He's young, and barely passing his physical courses. Too light to excel at weight-training, but developed strong combat endurance. Academics seem to stay high and drop and random periods, as if he's being distracted. The professors he has in the morning comment on tardiness and fatigue during those same drops in grade."

"So the kid gets distracted. So what? It happens to all of us. I bet if you picked three other cadets at random you'd find the same damn thing," Genesis drawled.

"I'm not so sure," Angeal cut in, "Cloud wouldn't let anything get in the way of his success here. He's spoken about SOLIDER in reverence enough to tell me that he's giving it his all, whenever he can. What could Cloud possibly be sidetracked by?"

"Does he have a position at that Café down on Main Street? That was the second time I saw him. Perhaps he is working late shifts for financial issues," Sephiroth added.

Genesis cradled his chin with his palm, "You don't have to owe money to need another job as a cadet. It barely pays anything. Besides, he often spends evenings in the library with me. Not every day, mind you, but the times he does show up seem random."

"How and when did that happen?" Angeal asked, knowing full well that question would take longer than necessary for Genesis to explain, "And no embellishments please."

"I don't embellish," Genesis protested, "I just liven things up a little. As it is, Cloud..Strife was it? Yes Cloud Strife can definitely be quiet and demure, but I've seen him irate and flippant. Not quite the same with you as he is with me, 'Geal."

"Context, Genesis. When did you first meet him?" Sephiroth focused as he crossed long legs.

"Yes, your Majesty. It was APPROXIMATELY half a year ago," Genesis teased, fully enjoying Sephiroth's unamused glare, "I'd gone into the library to rehearse and didn't realize someone was in there until I heard some shuffling. I left and came back the next day, which is the day we all had a falling out. It was obvious he did not want me to know he was there, but I knew. Fell asleep there that night and meandered around to find him passed out in an aisle, books all around him. He must've been searching for something. "

"What was he reading?" Angeal asked

"All of them regarded gaian legends and summon theory. Not sure why, we don't have a class that touches on that subject. "

Sephiroth leaned back in his chair, mind whirling with potential reasons for such rushed study.

"Now that I think about it, there have been oddities with him. When I finally approached him he did not seem to care about my rank at all, which goes against your story, 'Geal. If anything, he should have been more reserved with me and outgoing with you."

"It doesn't make any sense," Angeal intoned.

"Don't interrupt Angeal I'm telling a story," The red-haired commander smirked.

"Yes Angeal, we're trying to solve a mystery," Sephiroth batted further.

Something akin to joy hit Genesis as he registered that Sephiroth just joked with him. He laughed in delight at Angeal's annoyance.

"Yes, I'm the problem," Angeal deadpanned.

Sephiroth chuckled and covered his eyes with a palm, "You always were one for rebellion Angeal."

With a snort Genesis cut the conversation, "Okay, you two, enough joking around. We have a mysterious cadet to figure out. Anyway, when I asked him who he was he actually said Cloud was not his real name. Little Brat. He also said he needed to keep his identity a secret, and when I pressed him as to why he did not relent. I actually like him, he's got fire."

Sephiroth noticed an interested gleam appear in his second-in-command's eyes, as if he were recalling past conversations.

"Anyway, one day we both were stressed out and venting to one another. Just a back and forth, you know. I was saying I was mad about having to teach and he was mad about a fight he had with a friend, tit for tat, yadda yadda. During one of his turns he mentioned something about being tasked to help a group of people, but they suddenly didn't want his help anymore."

"Oh, Shiva that is too incriminating," Angeal commented.

"I've also witnessed him reading books in some archaic language. He stares at pages so long that it makes me think he can actually read it. Not sure what that's all about."

"So why it is that he withheld his identity from you and not Angeal?" Sephiroth questioned.

"I have no idea," Genesis confessed, "You'd think he'd have realized that we all talk to one another."

Angeal sat straight, "Actually, you said the first time you formally met him was after the day of our argument. The first time I met him, it was after our argument as well."

"He knew somehow. Cloud Strife knew we weren't on speaking terms," The general stated.

"Hold on," Angeal shifted toward them, "Sure, this all paints Cloud to be a suspicious person, but that doesn't mean he could have had the opportunity to do anything. Shouldn't the fact that he befriended Gen, Zack and myself show the opposite? There's no way he could take any of us down."

"One mastered paralyze and a quiet blade is enough to catch us off-guard. Cloud Strife could have comrades in ShinRa, for all we know," Genesis reasoned.

"Almost every room and facility of ShinRa grounds is monitored closely by both SOLDIER and Turk surveillance. There are few places that do not have infantry patrol or security cameras. Those include silver-level clearance rooms, personal quarters, personal offices and the like. Do either of you know the other locations?"

At the silence from his friends, the general continued, "Angeal, do you remember how you stumbled across that patch of earth that you've made into a garden? It was originally going to be home to another gym for 3rd classes, as their housing is located close by. However, the president pulled funding after its land had been cleared. They took down the camera units in anticipation of installing new ones, with the main program attached to the gym's office, but obviously that never happened."

He turned to Genesis, "You know where I'm going with this, correct?"

"Yeah. I suppose I shouldn't have firaga'd those cameras in the library years ago," Genesis sighed.

"So this cadet has managed to foster friendships with the three of you, and he has managed to spend most of his free time in the only two public places that do not have surveillance of any kind."

No one spoke for a solid minute.

"Shit."

Sephiroth and Angeal agreed.

"We need a plan," Angeal leaned forward, "Something to get us started."

"Your puppy," Genesis insisted, "Your puppy has known Cloud the longest. Ask him what he does when he isn't with you, and possibly why he's getting distracted from his classes periodically."

Sephiroth hummed in agreement, "Yes. Meanwhile, you two should continue on with your guises. I'd like to get closer as well, but I cannot do so without drawing attention."

"It would be wise to have all three of us in some consistent contact. The more time we spend with him, the more we can account for his absences," Angeal reasoned.

"Short of teaching a cadet course or mentoring the kid, I don't think you can get any closer Seph," Genesis pointed out.

Sephiroth looked to the window, taking in the calming tones of rain once more.

"I'll think of something."

* * *

The general had never been so confused in his life.

What began as the casual tailing of a 16 year-old cadet became a sequence of events that Sephiroth could not put together. On day one he'd followed Cloud Strife down a maze of hallways that came full circle to the lobby. Sephiroth knew every inch of his domain. So when the cadet stopped walking and turned to look at him, the General couldn't decide whether or not Cloud had terrible sense of direction or had purposely lead them nowhere.

Day two had him peering down at Cloud's combat class. It was nothing special; in fact it appeared that Cloud was lagging behind the rest of his peers. Green eyes narrowed as he took in the cadets features: determined stance, sloppy yet strong form, bright blue eyes steeled in concentration and…he was talking?

A glance at Cloud's fighting partner proved fruitless. The other boy wasn't speaking at all. it appeared that he didn't want to communicate aside from the mock fight. A noiseless breath escaped the general as he considered what he'd witnessed on the balcony days ago.

Did Cloud Strife really talk to himself?

Day three was an attempt to confirm or deny his lead. The general caught him casually exiting one of the rarely-used side doors in the eastern wing of the first floor. Pausing for 10 seconds, so as not to be spotted immediately, Sephiroth gently nudged the door open. He avoided the rather annoying squeak Cloud had made by cracking the door open and sliding out.

The trees loomed in front of him. Sephiroth followed Cloud slowly behind the cover of the branches, thankful that they were evergreens and unaffected by the changing of leaves. However advanced ShinRa would become, no one could argue with the fact that forest cover was invaluable on the battlefield and a welcome fortress in case of ambush. It had been his first real demand as the newly appointed General years ago, and the scowls of the board foreshadowed inevitable conflicts with the president and his men. At the very least, Genesis and Angeal had remained at his side as steadfast supporters and saw his vision of the company as an attainable end-goal.

They'd become more brazen with their attempts at changes in policy, recruitment, international relations and biological manipulation. Yet the choke hold of the president and Professor Hojo had become bolder in turn ("It's desperation, Seph," Genesis had told him, "They see you at the edge of freedom and themselves at the end of the line").

Things were unraveling too fast. Barrages of busywork meant to distract him from the inclining tensions with Wutai and the new position of Secretarial General (of which he wasn't allowed to vote) was in process. On top of it all, the relationship with his two friends had been steadily deteriorating.

But he wasn't blind. He needed a side project, a threat unknown to the company to bring the three of them together and prove to himself that there was a job worth doing that no one else could.

Cadet Cloud Strife, Sephiroth mused, was a necessary challenge.

"That's suicide. There isn't a way to get in that won't get me killed."

Sephiroth stopped in his tracks abruptly, recovering from the sudden phrase with ease. Cloud Strife had stopped 20 paces in front of him and was talking to absolutely no one.

"Maya, you don't understand security is tight here. There's no way to hack it."

The cadet sounded frustrated and defeated. Sephiroth mentally filed away the name Maya for later, as he'd have full access to the database on his office computer.

"No there isn't-"

Sephiroth stilled as he saw Cloud's back straighten and his entire body tense. They stood in silence for 10 minutes until the general, caught between his mission and the welfare of boy, reluctantly called out, "Are you alright, Cadet?"

He watched as Cloud Strife slowly turned to him and smiled. Bright blue eyes darted to a space behind the general, and on reflex Sephiroth turned to see...

Nothing.

As he faced Cloud Strife once more he could not quell the irritation that welled inside of him. Because Cloud Strife was nowhere to be found, and he'd just made a fool of the Great General Sephiroth.

Muddy boots strode down the busy common way, forcing cadets, soldiers, and staff alike to rapidly evade the death march of their usually level-headed superior. A passerby whimpered at the electric green eyes bright with mako, but Sephiroth did not register his appearance or the reactions of others. He was looking for only one person: Cloud Fucking Strife.

As soon as he caught sight of newly-appointed First Class Zack Fair his intentions changed. As he approached, the turk Zack was talking to abruptly stopped to assess the general. By the time Sephiroth was a stride away from Zack, Reno was gone.

"Zackary," Sephiroth demanded, "Where is the cadet?"

Taken aback by the abject fury in his general's eyes, Zack stuttered, "U-uh. Cadet? What cadet?"

Sephiroth gritted back an insult, "The cadet you like so much. Cloud Strife."

Zack momentarily stepped back and studied the general with a considering gaze not unlike his mentor's, "Why are you so…interested?"

"Are you questioning my intentions, Fair?"

The first class' eyes hardened and Sephiroth was abruptly reminded why Zack Fair had reached first class at the young age of 17. He may be excitable and loyal, friendly and kind, but a warrior lurked behind that guise.

And Sephiroth was posing as a threat to his friend.

The general took a brief moment to close his eyes and breathe ("It helps," Angeal once told him, "We are nothing if we cannot control ourselves"). Zack needed context and the assurance that Cloud would not be harmed. Possibilities whirled in his head before he locked eyes with Angeal's protege.

"I believe I just spotted him in a restricted area, but I am uncertain. If you could confirm his whereabouts, I'd be able to inquire directly."

Zack's stance relaxed, but he was still alert, "When did you think you saw him?"

"Not 10 minutes ago. "

At that statement, the tension between them vanished as Zack propped his hands on his hips, "Whew, for a second there I thought Spikey was actually in trouble. I walked him to his endurance training over an hour ago. He should barely be getting out now. I know what you're thinking- he could have gotten out early. However, he said he was going to meet me here as soon as he got-"

"Zack!"

"Out," The teen finished with a grin.

Sephiroth watched as the object of his study jogged over to greet Zack, taking note of the first class' fond gaze and affectionate tones.

"Hiya Spikey. How was class?" He asked as he scooped up the smaller man in a hug.

Cloud chuckled as he gently pushed the solider away, "It was boring. Couldn't wait for it to end. We going straight to your place or…?"

Zack turned to Sephiroth, "Actually, The general here was asking where you were about 10 minutes ago. Apparently someone got into a restricted area and he's trying to narrow down the possibilities."

As soon as Cloud noticed Sephiroth standing not five feet away, he froze. How incriminating, Sephiroth mused.

"Yes, it appeared to be someone with blond hair. I couldn't make out any distinguishing features."

Zack's eyebrows furrowed in thought, "Blond hair, huh?"

Cloud blinked innocently, "I've been in class until now. You can ask my instructor if you'd like."

Sephiroth held back the need to grab him by the shoulders and shake. That was not a hallucination. Cloud Strife had been outside with him; he couldn't possibly have been in class as well!

"Is…is that why you've been following me these past few days? "

Quickly shrugging aside the shock of having been noticed by Strife more than once, the general went to reply- that is until he caught a suspicious gleam develop in Zackary's eyes. He could lie once more and say that there had been breaches of multiple restricted areas, but as a newly-appointed first class Zack Fair would have known already. A small part of him began to panic as he realized that he had not created an excuse for his actions if he had gotten caught. What could he say?

Zack noticed the hesitation to speak and stepped forward. The fact that he pushed Cloud slightly behind him was not lost on the General.

"Sephiroth. Have you been following Cloud?"

He grimaced at his inability to find a cover up. Green eyes locked with curious blue, and the general came to an adequate solution.

"I'm taking your silence as an answer. Why have you been following around a cadet?"

Sephiroth made a show of composing himself and closed his eyes for the chaos his excuse would bring.

"I did not wish to tell him this way."

Zack took another step toward him, "Tell him what?"

General Sephiroth walked closer to the pair until Zack was a foot away, but it was Cloud Strife that he focused his attention on. Without further ado, he announced,

"I wish to court you."

* * *

Author's Note:

Thank you for your feedback regarding sexual content! I've gotten a lot of mixed opinions so far, with the most consistent ones being "Give us a warning first" or "Upload those onto AO3" or "Go on ahead". It will be a couple of chapters until I feel the characters (and I) are ready for such a step, so I will definitely let you all know what I'm aiming to do when the time comes.

Meanwhile, I have changed the rating from T to M due to a few topics I broached (Suggested Drug Use, Alcohol Use, Sexual Content, Profanity) without really realizing it. Thank you for your support and please review!


	10. Chapter 10

I've got 99 problems and writing this chapter is thankfully no longer one of them.

Disclaimer: I don't Final Fantasy, just this story regarding it.

* * *

There weren't many things that made Zack angry. Sure, he got irritated when Genesis would try to rile him up and disappointed when paperwork filled up entire days, but it never crossed into the point of being upset. Even on the battlefield emotions were overshadowed by forced calm, a tactic of Angeal's that finally sunk in a few years back. But that…

"I wish to court you."

That made him angry.

"I know I didn't hear you correctly, General," Zack reasoned lowly, "Because I know you'd never corner a cadet into receiving your advances."

He heard Cloud's sharp inhale and met the gaze of his superior head on, "I can't allow it."

In all his years of knowing Zackary Fair, the general could not place an instance that he witnessed such intensity. Angeal, for all his infinite wisdom, could not beat out the easygoing demeanor that seemed impossible to maintain in his army. Perhaps he had overstepped a line.

He'd have to tread lightly if he wanted to be alone with Strife and not attract the attention of Angeal's Protégé. It might even be wise to get closer to him as well, Sephiroth mused, for Fair had known Cloud the longest.

The general projected careful indifference, "I did not intend to entrap Strife. My apologies." He turned his gaze swiftly to Cloud, "If you have interest in me, please seek me out and say so. Until then, I take my leave."

Zack's shoulders dropped as he headed toward the elevators, and a soft exhalation followed. Such relief shown for his departure gave way to yet another hypothesis:

Zackary Fair knew exactly why he'd sought out Strife.

He was in on this too.

* * *

"But…why?

Zack groaned, "I don't know Spikey. Maybe he just…saw you around or something? Thought you were cute and decided to bite?"

They had been at it all night. The activities they normally took pleasure during sleepovers were today accompanied by a reanalysis of the current situation, but they had no more answers than they did hours before. The crunch of a chip made by Cloud's elbow stirred him further, "He doesn't normally date. Maybe that's why he was stalking you?"

Grimacing at the mess of snacks on the floor, Cloud deadpanned, "We made a fucking mess."

Zack lazily peered past Cloud's shoulder to access the damage: Chips out the bag, sodas barely balanced on his plush carpet, unwrapped candies spread around two controllers to his console.

"Eh. I feel like we've done worse," Zack retorted while comfortably curling around Cloud once more. Cloud was warm and the room was lit only by the dim light of the pause screen on his tv. Damn was he sleepy.

"Zack. Zack don't fall asleep; I need help."

The older soldier groaned as he felt a spike of hair poke his closed eye, "Help with what? I don't think we're gonna understand Seph's intentions by talking about this again."

The cadet was quiet for a moment.

"I…I'm considering saying yes."

Zack distantly heard his consciousness scream in alarm as he roughly turned Cloud to face him, "Are you serious?" He knew that his hand was gripping Cloud's arm a little too tightly, that his face was a little too close, his voice a little too high.

"Zack…You're greening up."

But he wasn't aware of that.

" You're so young and he's ancient!"

"I'm 16, Zack. You're only 3 years older than me, and he's only 25."

"Only?! He's almost 10 years older than you- and how did you know how old he was?!"

"Stop freaking out for a sec-"

"No! I'm not gonna. What if he takes advantage of you, Cloud?! He's the most enhanced person on the fucking planet and you're barely scraping by your physical courses-"

"I'm not weak!"

"Yeah but you're not at soldier strength either!"

"Can you relax for a second!" Cloud demanded while sitting up in anger, "You have a goddamn problem, Zack."

Staring up, Zack retaliated, "I have a problem, Spikey? If you wanted to date him so bad you should've just said yes!"

Cloud huffed and got to his feet, "You spoke for me, remember? You disrespected our superior and didn't look at me once. I didn't have a chance to say anything because your head was so far up your own ass that you failed to realize that it was only between him and me!"

Cloud's breathing sounded loud in the silent room. The first class' gaze rested on the shadow of the TV screen, looking through rather than at it.

"Just," Cloud began more quietly than before, "just tell me what's wrong."

"What do you mean? I gave you my reasons-"

"No," Cloud sighed, "it's not that. You say that I've changed in the past year. Well, so have you."

Zack ran a hand through his hair in exasperation, "Spike-"

"No. You don't get to make excuses."

They paused. Cloud had grown up a lot in the past year, Zack mused ruefully. When they'd met the cadet was antisocial, quiet and passive. Opposites attract, and he was drawn to Cloud like a moth to flame. The blond had opened up over time, eventually reaching a point where they could joke and wrestle and he didn't have to salute every Gaia damn time he saw Zack.

Now, looking up into quietly furious blue eyes from his position on the floor, the sable-haired teen couldn't help but feel a little intimidated. Something he thought he'd never feel because of Cloud Strife, of all people.

"You used to nag me all the time about getting to know people, about making friends and dating and all this other stuff I wasn't ready to do. Now I am, and you've been a nothing but a huge jerk. You weren't like this before. What happened?"

Zack took a minute to mull it over. ShinRa had shown him its true colors once he'd made first class. The mysterious inner workings of the company and how his mentor operated became clear. Classified mission reports were now open to his revision, and he saw the opposite of his dream. Imperialism and theft, disregard for the environment, avoidable casualties that were now just numbers on a report. He barely saw the field, barely saw any good done. Every decision the board made was surrounded by greed and selfishness.

And Zack? He was only there to get them what they wanted.

"ShinRa's a den of monsters," He uttered while getting to his feet.

"What?" Cloud questioned.

"That's what someone told me a long time ago. I understand it now," Zack looked down at Cloud, feeling much more at ease with the difference in height, "I don't want you to get hurt, in any way."

"The only one that's been hurting me is you. How can I trust you if you're constantly trying to force information out of me?"

"How can I trust you when you're always lying? You say you'll be one place, but you aren't. One day you're not talking to anyone and the next you're getting danced on at a party-"

"You asked me to come!"

"That's not the point. You've been busy, that's for sure. What has taken up so much of your time? Why do you lie to me about where you're going and what you're up too? Of course I'm going to try to force it out of you– I'm starting to think you've fallen into a bad crowd or something."

"Is this because I'm a cadet? You think I'm weak to everyone and everything? I can tell you right now that peer pressure isn't something I give in to easily, Zack."

"I know-"

"No, you don't," Cloud grit his teeth in anger, "Do you do this to any of your other friends?"

He didn't. They both knew he didn't.

"Sometimes-"

"Don't lie to me."

"Why not? You do it to me all the time," Zack retorted flippantly.

"There's a reason for it! Gaiadamn it, why do you care about it so much?"

"Because we used to be close and now we aren't! I liked being the one you confided in. Guess you have Geal' and Genesis and Sephiroth to do that with now. "

Cloud stared at his companion in bewilderment, "You're jealous?"

Zack opened and closed his mouth, clearly attempting to find a retort, before breathing, "Yeah. It's stupid, huh?"

Honestly, the blond had no idea what to make of someone being jealous over him. Him. Scrawny nothing-from-no-where cadet that barely socialized with anyone.

"It's just. ShinRa isn't what I thought it was, Spike. Yeah, I'm kind of jealous that you're making all these friends all the sudden, but I'm also worried that some of them may be bad people. I don't want you to get hurt. I want to keep you safe."

Zack tiled Cloud's chin up to meet his gaze, "But I can't feel like you're safe when you're keeping secrets from me. If you want me to just stop bothering you so much, I will. Just tell me you don't want me prying."

Thinking back on it now, Cloud realized that he'd never tried that before. Sure, he'd lied most of the time and beat around the bush the rest, but Zack was telling him something important.

Zack was telling him how to get his way.

"You could've followed me around," Cloud thought out loud, "You could've asked my bunk mates where I was or even pried information from Angeal or Genesis, but you didn't."

"Of course I didn't," Zack exclaimed, hands waving in front of him, "I wanted you to come to me."

He looked torn a few seconds, and then he was embracing Cloud in that same way he did when they made up weeks ago, "I care a lot about you, Spike. I really do."

"But if you need time to decide my place with you," Zack pulled away, "I'll give that to you."

There was something suspicious about the way his friend worded the phrase, Cloud mused. It almost felt as though he were referring to something else.

"Thank you," Cloud responded decidedly.

It seemed he wasn't the only one keeping secrets.

* * *

On his list of bad ideas, marching up to the General's office to tentatively accept his offer was surprisingly not at the top. It was odd to think that General Sephiroth had a genuine interest in him, but then again, appearing to be in two places at once tended to get people a little curious. Maya had assured him nothing would come of it, and you'd think a deity of illusion would try a little harder to not give other people heart attacks. As it turned out, Maya was a very quiet, reclusive spirit that gave him one word answers and liked to walk around in his image. The benefit was he could be pushed into the location she was in, and vice versa, without anyone noticing. The consequence was, well…

"Hi. My name is Cloud. Cadet Cloud Strife. I'm here for the general?"

Sticky situations, yet again, with General Sephiroth.

"Do you have an appointment?" The secretary asked, pushing up his glasses with an index finger. The glare aimed at Cloud was very, very real.

"Uh.." Cloud responded articulately, "No?"

The loud tip-taps of the keyboard continued, "Then you aren't here for the general."

The blond blinked in confusion and watched as the blue-haired man, probably only a few years older than he, cleared his throat and pulled a sticky note from the computer.

"Can...can I make an appointment?" Cloud asked uncertainly.

"No." The man deadpanned.

"Can you give him a message for me?"

"No."

Cloud was about to give up and return to the safety of the library when the door behind the desk cracked open.

"Avin. Let him in," Sephiroth spoke, though Cloud swore he could hear amusement under the command.

Leaning back in his chair, Avin glanced at the cadet and swept an arm toward the door, "He will see you now."

Cloud automatically trekked into the office (while frowning uncertainly at Avin) and closed the door just in time to see Sephiroth circling the broad, mahogany desk to take a seat once more. Cloud shifted his feet and tried to decide if a salute was appropriate, but then realized it would look stupid if he saluted after 10 seconds of just standing there. Being awkward sucked.

"Please," Sephiroth gestured to a plush, dark red chair in front of him. The cadet gave a small smile and wordlessly accepted. It was a modern looking piece of furniture, with the back and sides being one long piece that made a comfortable U shape. Looking around, everything else was black leather.

"Uh," Cloud began, "Did Genesis- I mean Commander Rhapsodos give you this chair?"

Sephiroth stared at him for a long moment, "Yes. Yes he did. I was not aware that he spoke of my office furniture."

"Oh," Cloud sputtered, "He doesn't. It just, it doesn't look like something you'd get. The couch and thechair are black and you know Gen loves red. Probably got it from The Junon Exchange or something."

Cloud wrung his hands in his lap, thankful that the enormous desk covered up his fidgeting. He had not come here to talk about the office decor.

"You know Genesis well," Sephiroth spoke approvingly, "though I'm surprised you witnessed him reading a magazine and still live to tell the tale."

Cloud chuckled, "Yeah. When I see him reading one I tend to move as far away as possible and avoid breathing. I tried to leave the room one time and he got offended that I was 'treating him as if he were fire-breathing dragon'."

The general scoffed, "He is a fire-breathing dragon."

Cloud rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, but even dragons want company once in awhile."

The sincerity and simplicity of the statement hit Sephiroth somewhere deep.

"Well," he responded, "I'm also aware that you've befriended another one of my commanders- Angeal. As someone who kills every plant I touch, I thank you for your diligence toward his garden."

Cloud flushed under the praise, "He told you about that?"

"Of course," Sephiroth revealed, "We tell each other everything."

Truth be told, the general was expecting some sort of panic to show in the cadet's eyes, but Cloud's body did not so much as tense at the statement. Either this boy had not sought to take advantage of he, Angeal's and Genesis' period of silence or Cloud was a very good actor.

A small ping alerted him to a text on his PHS.

"Are you taking the exams this year?" Sephiroth asked while casually opening the text message. He half heard the answer as he read Genesis' remark.

Genesis: Cloud spotted at the market on Main Street.

Below was a well-taken photo of said person surveying items at a trinket stand. Sephiroth squinted and drew his gaze back at the cadet, "Do you have any siblings, Cadet?"

He shouldn't, Sephiroth knew. According to his file, Cloud Strife was an only child and had no family aside from his Mother, who resided in Nibelheim.

"Uh, no sir," the blond responded, "do you?"

"No," Sephiroth spoke while looking from the picture on his PHS to Cloud again. Both were wearing the same casual attire. He began to text Genesis back, "I'm sorry Cloud, I don't mean to be rude. Give me one second."

Sephiroth: When was this taken?

Then, thinking fast, the general held up his phone a snapped a picture of the cadet across from him. The snapshot sound resounded in the room, and Cloud blinked innocently, "Sir?"

"Sorry Cloud," Sephiroth repeated as he attached the picture to his message and pressed send, "Someone requested to know what the person I wished to date looked like."

And there it was. Cloud breathed a thanks to the gods for the topic having been brought up. He sat up straighter, "About that. I'm not entirely sure if it's a good idea. I don't want to deal with accusations of favoritism, or the paparazzi following me everywhere, or having obsessed fan girls trying to track me down and kill me."

He briefly saw the corners of Sephiroth's lips twitch up before continuing, "But you seem like a nice person. So if you're willing to just hang out, inconspicuously, then that would work for me."

"Hmm," The elder brought a hand to his chin in thought, "I've seen this situation before. Zackary called it something like 'friendzoning'."

Cloud choked on nothing, "Well. I mean...yeah I kinda am. Sorry."

The ping of his PHS covered the awkwardness well. "Give me a second," Sephiroth asked politely.

Genesis: Took it 10 minutes ago. When did you take that one?!

The general licked his lips in thought while putting his PHS down, "Alright Cloud. I accept your offer of friendship."

"Thank you, General," Cloud stood, "I would give you my PHS number, but I assume you can get it on your own."

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow," "Are you insinuating that I misuse company resources for personal gain?"

"No," Cloud laughed and opened his office door, "Genesis has my number." Closing the door behind him, Cloud purposely met the general's gaze, "I thought you told each other everything."

With that, the blond gave him a two-fingered salute that reminded him remarkably of Zackary Fair.

Zackary.

He distantly heard the click of the door and Avin saying something most likely rude before hitting number one on his speed dial.

"Sephiroth?"

"Angeal. Bring your pup over tonight. It's time to get some information from him."

* * *

"You should be more careful," Cloud hissed as he grabbed his lookalike by the arm, "I'm almost certain now that the General is suspicious of us."

The scent of exotic spices and fried food wafted through the air as they sped walked through the market. It was hot, and Cloud did not appreciate having to wear a hooded jacket zipped up to his nose, but it wasn't worth being caught by anyone they knew. Like Genesis, who should still be ghosting around the place.

As soon as the blond had finished his meeting with Sephiroth, he'd booked it to his room to change and sprinted through headquarters to get to the market. Sephiroth had oriented his office in such a way that his back faced the wall of glass, which basically became a mirror when the sun no longer hit it. The General was a smart man, but even Cloud knew better than to check his phone when there was a window behind him.

He'd seen the picture of Maya as himself in the market, and he pretended to ignore the General's very subtle change of expression. He was screwed.

"He knows something's up and there are other people watching me for him," Cloud whispered to Maya, who was all wide eyes and small affirmations. They passed a woman who must've put on an entire bottle of perfume, and Maya sneezed in response.

"Wow," Cloud chuckled, "that's the loudest thing I've heard from you."

Knowing full well that they couldn't go anywhere that he frequented, Cloud did something he hadn't done in a long time: get lost on purpose. The trick was to make as many turns as possible, and seek out he most dingy looking alleyways, the faintest forest trails, and the darkest corners. It had been handy in Nibelheim, where bullies often chased him through barren trees and slicked ice caves, and it worked even better in a city.

"I'm going to take us through some weird spots," Cloud warned Maya, "but it's to make sure we aren't being followed. Hopefully, we'll find some place that we can talk comfortably."

It was odd talking to himself, and it was even odder seeing Maya break out into a serene smile with his face. As if hearing his thoughts, she giggled.

A few twists and turns later found them outside a bar crammed in between an abandoned storefront and a vehicle repair station. This was the poorest part of the upper plate, Cloud knew, and he'd purposely passed the entrances to the lower plate in order to confuse any potential followers. Most people on the run found a haven down there, as it was near impossible to track anyone down in the mess of ruins, secret caves, and hidden safe houses.

It would sound incriminating to hear that Cadet Cloud Strife had gone to a hole-in-the-wall bar with a mystery companion, but it would be even more incriminating to hear that he'd gone into the lower plate. Wanting a drink was a better alibi than exploring the slums for fun.

The old wooden door creaked open, the smell of cigarettes and booze eagerly escaping it. Maya scrunched her nose and looked at Cloud with an expression that asked 'really? 'He nodded, and they hesitantly entered the dim room. Thankfully, a quick gander revealed that the bar was an intimate, quiet place, with only a few low-toned people on stools and a pair in a booth. Cloud sighed in relief.

They had gotten lucky.

Maya took his hand and let him over to a back corner booth, making eye contact with a chatting waitress on the way. They fell gratefully into their seats.

"Welcome. What can I get for you? Wait- Cloud?!"

Scratch that. They weren't lucky at all.

Maya looked between him and Rikku in dawning horror. Cloud cleared his throat and softly kicked his lookalike under the table. Stirred from the action, Maya smiled at Rikku and presented her thumb in a show of goodwill.

"Uh..Nice to see you too?" Rikku laughed and brushed her hair back, "What are you doing in a place like this?"

Maya patted her throat with her hand and made a small noise of pain.

"You're dehydrated? Is that why you can't talk?"

Maya nodded so rapidly Cloud thought her head would fly off.

"Okay! Let me get you two some water. On the house, of course."

When she was out of hearing range Cloud took a deep breath, "Okay, Maya. We haven't really had a chance to talk since you took my identity"

A huff of outrage and crossed arms was Maya's response.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it like that. You just freaked me out a little, you know? One minute I was in the library and the next I'm in my room. How was I supposed to know what you were doing?"

It had stressed him out so much. He knew it was the work of a deity, one that didn't mean any harm, but he'd genuinely thought Maya had just been transporting him around. It was when he'd come face to face with himself in the garden that he realized Maya had been doing much more.

"I just want to know what you're in charge of. Are you a kind of mirror spirit? Maybe a copycat kind?"

Maya kicked him hard in the shin. As Cloud bent over to touch the definite bruise forming , he heard the clink of glasses on the table, "There you guys go. Let me know if you need anything else, Cloud."

"You didn't need to kick that hard to warn me," Cloud growled.

Maya innocently sipped at her water before setting it down on the table. With a wave of her hand the water inside changed to a honey-color that foamed.

At her behest, Cloud took the drink and sipped at it. Instead of the alcoholic tinge of beer, he tasted water, "Wow. Do you know how useful that would be at parties?"

Maya smiled and spoke in a sweet, high voice, "I'm a deity of illusion. While I can change the appearance of something, I cannot alter what it actually is."

"I'm guessing you can't change your voice, then?"

Maya smiled, "That is correct. I can change what is seen, not what is heard."

The blonde shifted his gaze to the now normal-colored water, "And does it wear off?"

"Oh, no. It can last forever. It's only weakness is it doesn't work if the person is aware of the illusion."

Sitting back, Cloud met Maya's gaze, "Then why walk around in my image? You could just as easily appear to be someone else and save us a lot of trouble."

"I can't just pick anyone to impersonate. As you, I could walk around ShinRa grounds freely, therefore staying close. I could've pretended to be someone else, but it's easier when my target doesn't interact with many people."

Cloud felt his eye twitch, "Are you calling me anti-social?"

"I need your help," the spirit redirected, "I need you to cast Esuna on me. Level 3."

The duo started at one another, unmoving. The sounds of laughter and glasses clinking echoed around them. Cloud considered ordering a legitimate beer, because on that list of bad ideas, Maya was making her way to the top.

"Maya?"

"Yes?"

"I've never used materia in my entire life."

* * *

Authors note: Thank you for your patience and for reading! Please don't forget to review and let me know if something needs fixing.


	11. Chapter 11

Hello and welcome to the 11th chapter of Inner Voice!

Disclaimer: I the Final Fantasy series is not mine, and I make no financial gains by use of its property.

* * *

He softly exhaled. A half-empty glass of iced jasmine tea lay gently tilted in his grip, while a favorite piano track lulled him into blessed relaxation. The table had been set to perfection, cast in royal blues and creams that he'd dug out of the bottom of a cabinet. An open window brought in a slow sunset breeze, brushing crimson bangs away from closed eyes. Summer wasn't his favorite season, but it had its moments.

Leaning back in his chair, Genesis considered the challenges that appeared in the past few months. There was the matter of Cloud's innocence and associations. What Seph proclaimed made sense, and his friend's suspicious nose was hardly ever off. It was certain that the blond was withholding secrets, but weren't they all? Despite having sound facts, Genesis couldn't find it in himself to point to Cloud as a dangerous person. No, he was just a very, very interesting individual.

Cloud was a game, and Genesis didn't quite care if he was playing. What really mattered was this challenge had brought his trio together once again, if only for a short while. After all, Sephiroth had never asked for them to have dinner before. He idly traced the top of his glass with a sender finger, contemplating the general's rationale. Genesis supposed his silver-haired friend was eager to discuss Cloud's copycat in person, but that simple theory didn't stop Angeal from booking it to the grocery store and him from laying out the table so nicely.

Even then, was this a temporary reprieve from their infighting? Should he take matters into his own hands, despite the threat of severing everyone's ties so completely? If he told them both the truth, would he be outcast and hated?

"There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the goddess. Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds."

Genesis smiled tiredly at his own attempt at reassurance. Where would he be without these prayers? Three consecutive knocks interrupted his music, jolting the commander out of his thoughts.

"Gen! Give me a hand," Angeal asked, baritone voice muffled from the door.

The redhead hoisted himself up with an exaggerated groan, "You have a key. Why do I have to get up?"

He opened the door to pots and dishes stacked rather precariously atop one another. Angeal's face was not visible as he said, "Don't bother grabbing anything. Just guide me to your counter, please."

"You don't think you overdid it?" Genesis chuckled as they disassembled the tower of food.

"Of course not," Angeal tutted, "I've been waiting for an opportunity to try these dishes out, you know."

"If we started doing this more often again, you could try out everything and anything."

Angeal pretended not to hear as he began to place appetizers on the table, "Wow, Gen. This looks great. I didn't know you had a blue-themed set. You never used it."

"Angeal."

His friend flinched at the tone. Genesis was a drama king, he knew. Though for once in his life, these moments were very real and very deep.

"I know you don't want to talk about this. I know Seph doesn't want to either, but if we resolved this then we could all be together again."

Angeal sighed, "Gen. It's not going to go back to the way it was."

"It doesn't have to," Genesis insisted, "I just want it to be as special. It doesn't have to be the same."

Angeal crossed his arms as Genesis poured himself more tea, silently assessing his best friend. It was tough to be in the middle of Sephiroth and Genesis, but he'd rather keep them on amicable terms than risk dislike. They'd grown too close, been through too much, to let something break them all apart. Even if, Angeal ruefully mused, it was something as important as love.

"He doesn't know what to do with himself anymore," Angeal confessed, "He's confused and you haven't been helping."

Genesis took his seat once more, "I know. I thought I was helping by nudging him in the right direction. I thought that showing my interest would provoke him into liking me. Didn't work."

"Gen," Angeal breathed, taking a seat next to him, "I don't think you need to worry about him liking you. You need to be yourself."

The answering derisive snort made him frown, "Genesis, if you really love him you'll treat him with respect and woo him in the most conventional way possible. Don't look at me like that; he's not your latest conquest. "

And neither am I, Angeal left unsaid.

Genesis' eyes glazed over as he cradled his chin on his palm, "Do you really think that would work?"

The posture reminded Angeal so much of the time when Gen had fallen for a girl back in middle school. She was all black hair and brown eyes, legs longer than they should be for a 14 year old. It brought back endless conversations regarding her likes and dislikes, what Genesis could do to be noticed and accepted into her circle of friends. Unfortunately, it also brought back the acute pain he had felt every time Genesis said her name, praised her personality, complimented her physique. It brought back a younger, less jaded version of his friend whose eyes had shone with passion and excitement, the promise of something new and eternal.

"I think it would," Angeal responded, "If it doesn't, it isn't meant to be."

Sharp eyes turned his way, "And where would that leave you, old friend?"

Not quite understanding Genesis' aim, the dark-haired commander laughed, "Where I always am. By your side."

"Maybe," Genesis prodded, leaning slowly toward Angeal, "But you've always served us best by being in the middle."

He was so close Genesis could smell the wheat fields Angeal so often ran through to get to his house. He could feel the grit of dirt in between their fingers as they held hands and watched the ever-expanding starry night. Deep within, they were both wild and brave. More free than they thought they were but still young, still ignorant of what freedom meant. To them, it had been SOLIDER, it had meant Midgar.

The irony killed him.

One deliberate knock broke both men from their memories, easily falling back into faked casual personas. As Angeal greeted Sephiroth, Genesis couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have them both on the level he craved.

It was real freedom cloaked in impossibility.

* * *

"What do you know?"

Reno raised a brow, doing that stupid blank Turk expression Zack hated so much.

"What do I know about what, yo?"

They were downtown, tucked carefully between a bookstore and a bakery. Reno hadn't recognized him without his solider getup, but that gave Zack time to brush next to him and ask the question that had been bothering him for, well, forever.

"Cloud," Zack began, crossing his arms over his chest and crinkling his tank hoodie.

Reno's eyes followed the motion before mimicking the stance, "Strife. What about em'?"

The piercing glare he received was murderous. Reno smirked cockily, knowing full well Fair hated it. When it came to Cloud, the guy had a protective streak a mile wide. It didn't take a Turk to figure out that the cadet hadn't confessed his 'secret' to Zack Fair.

Man, it felt good knowing something the solider didn't know, even if it was just a suspicion.

"I know you know something. You have to."

"What? The kid up to no good?"

"Reno," he sardonically chuckled, "I know you and Cloud meet up on the rooftop every fucking Friday. What the hell do you two talk about?"

"Ah man," the redhead sighed, "we didn't wanna tell you until it was official. We fuckin' dude."

Considering that they were in public, Reno was surprised when he found himself pressed menacingly against the brick behind him, and a little more when Zack's mako-lit eyes closed in an inch away from his own.

"What do you know, Turk?"

The shorter man sighed and pried Zack's fingers from his shirt collar, smoothing the wrinkles while chatting casually, "He's doing something weird. Keeps saying he's hanging out with his 'friends', but whoever they are, they're keeping em' busy."

"Friends?" Zack echoed, bemused, "What friends?" A memory of his argument with Cloud fluttered to the forefront of his mind.

 _Believe it or not, Zack, I have friends other than you._

"Don't know, dude. We keep tabs on everyone, yo', and your boy comes in and out of headquarters at weird times. Sometimes he looks worried, other times he's stressed to all hell. Talks to himself too."

"How long has this been happening? A few weeks? Months?"

Reno barked a laugh, "Are you for real, Fair? This shit's been happening since last year. Where the hell have you been?"

"What?! That's not possible!" Zack yelled a little too loud. He awkwardly paused and waited for the turned heads of people around them to swivel back to their own business, and blankly ignored Reno's unimpressed quirked brow.

"You all good, Solider Boy?"

"Fuck you," Zack distractedly muttered. He searched his memory for the first time he met Cloud, the people his cadet had known then, the class schedule he had. It flew back to the time they met. Modeoheim, small backwater towns, blonde and blue and bright in the snow. The most timid, unsure, genuine smile Zack had seen in a long time, all aimed at him.

It was all wrong.

"I don't get it. What's he been doing this whole time without telling me?"

"Don't know yo'," Reno responded more seriously, "I've been trying to figure it out on my free time, but things don't ever add up."

Zack cautiously looked the turk up and down, searching for any indication of dishonestly, "What else are you willing to fill me in on?"

Green eyes met blue, "Whatever he's been doing, it's been going downhill. He's out more often than he used to be. Running around more frantically than he used to. In the last few days, I could swear I've been seeing double of him."

Zack exhaled and brought a hand to his forehead, "Alright. Thanks."

As he walked away, Zack tried hard not to consider the absolute worst.

"Fair!"

The soldier turned his head silently.

"Cloud isn't the kind of person to do somethin' terrible. Whatever you're thinking, that's not it. He'd never hurt anyone or himself on purpose, yo'"

Zack did not respond, but walked with purpose back home. The flame of petulant indignation grew hotter and hotter in his chest, because how the hell could a random turk know Cloud better than he? The answer, he couldn't. Zack believed in Cloud too. He knew there was no way the cadet could be involved in something illegal or dangerous.

He knew, but the trained solider in him kept thinking.

"AAAARRGG!" He yelled, startling a great many people around him, "Not gonna think about it!" Zack willed away his suspicion and his fears. Yeah, Cloud was hiding something. Yeah, it wasn't looking too good. But maybe, he thought, maybe he could gather his own intel and figure it out. Like Reno was doing except actually effective because Zack was much better at everything.

"Alright, Spike. Look out. Here comes First Class Zack Fair!"

* * *

"Your puppy's screaming some nonsense downtown."

Angeal sighed, "He does that."

"You need to retrain him, or at least ask him to come over."

"Gen, you aren't going to trick me into calling him here."

"He's scaring everyone."

" _You_ scare everyone."

Sephiroth hid an indulgent smile and sipped at the white wine he'd brought to their dinner. The two had seemed on edge when he'd arrived, but now they were casually waiting to come to a consensus. Though Sephiroth and Genesis had voted for questioning Zack about Cadet Cloud Strife, Angeal was not convinced.

"I'm not saying we're gonna ask about Cloud," Genesis implored as he texted back a friend currently downtown, "I'm just saying that he's causing a commotion and you should probably make sure he's okay."

"When have you ever cared about Zack?" Angeal scoffed, "Last I heard, you've taken to taunting him at every turn."

Genesis' lips twisted as he realized his childhood friend knew more than he let on. Perhaps honesty was the best policy. He felt his stomach flip flop as he carefully chose his words.

"I'm over it now. Hated him cause' he took up all your time and I used to take up all your time. "

The silence after that was almost deafening. Angeal met Sephiroth's confused gaze with his own worried one before responding, "Oh… I didn't know you felt that way, Gen."

It was the truth. Angeal had genuinely assumed his best friend loathed Zack for all the same characteristics he himself valued. The loud, boisterous, happy personality of his protégé (ex protégé, he reminded himself) was in many ways like Genesis. Their inability to get along threw him for a loop. The fiery commander's twitching fingers, a subtle sign of nervousness, had Angeal smiling.

The crimson haired commander pouted dramatically, "I did. For a very long time. Instead of bothering Zack about it, I've recently decided to bother you instead. More fair that way. Ha, get it? Zack Fair? Fair? No? Oh forget both of you this isn't worth it."

Genesis pressed his phone to his ear and vaguely heard Angeal attempting to recover from the failure of a conversation.

"Hello?"

"Zachary. It's Genesis. Your mentor wanted to invite you to a dinner party. It's right now. Come or Sephiroth will be mad."

He hung up.

Sephiroth took another sip of wine and Angeal looked on bemused, obviously torn between reassuring his best friend and yelling at him. His mind shifted strongly to the latter with Genesis' next comment.

"If he doesn't come in 10 minutes I'm going to set the apartment on fire."

"I thought we discussed not setting things on fire."

"Shut up Seph I'm hungry."

Gaia, the three of them were so dysfunctional. Angeal watched as Sephiroth poured two more glasses of wine and pushed it their way, "Why thank you, General."

Sephiroth mock glared, "Call me that in private again and I'll start calling you Angel."

"You wouldn't. People will think we're dating."

Sephiroth shrugged, "It'll liven things up, though we might have an issue with Strife. Speaking of which, report on your Cloud sighting Genesis."

"Demand things of me again and I will kick you out, "Genesis playfully jibed, "And what do you mean you'll have an issue with Strife?"

"Don't worry about that. What matters, Angeal, is that we both saw Cloud Strife today at the same time and in different places."

Genesis quickly pulled the picture up on his phone as Sephiroth did the same. Angeal analyzed the faces of both, finding it hard to detect foul play. The time stamp of the messages sent had him reeling.

"How?"

Sephiroth took back his PHS and looked thoughtfully at Cloud's surprised features, "I don't know."

"This is why we want to talk to Zack," Genesis cut in, "It's getting ridiculous, Geal'."

The door burst open before Angeal had the chance to respond.

"I'm…here…" Zack panted at the entryway, hands on his knees, "Don't be mad Sephiroth. I mean- General Sephiroth."

"Where is the salute."

Zack saluted, "Sir!"

"Seph, come on. Give him a break," Angeal chuckled while waving his student (ex-student, he mentally screamed at himself) over to the table. Exasperation welled inside him as he took in Zack's heaving chest and panting breaths, "Gen. Look what you did. He actually ran all the way here."

Surprisingly, Genesis had retreated to the kitchen during Zack's arrival and emerged from it with a wet towel and a large glass of water. Angeal and Sephiroth looked at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"Here," He gently dropped both hydrating items on the table, "if you run out of water the toilet bowl is open."

The younger solider downed the water, "yeah, yeah I'm a dog whatever."

Sephiroth frowned at the dismissal, "Zack, you do know Genesis was joking? I wouldn't have been upset if you'd gotten here past the 10 minute interval." Angeal set down the refilled glass of water in front of his student, lips downturned in the same fashion as Sephiroth.

Zack sent a grateful, happy smile Angeal's way and reached again for the cup, "I know. Don't worry, Genesis wasn't the reason I was running. I was actually going to take my sweet time coming over."

The red-haired commander heard the younger man's heartbeat finally slow, "Well, then. Why were you running?"

"I saw a friend around town and instead of saying hi, he freakin' ran away from me," he took a thoughtful sip of water, "I don't know why he was avoiding me so bad. Don't worry about it though! What are we eating tonight?!"

When Zack looked up he saw the three locked gazes of his superiors. Sephiroth broke it and turned a piercing stare his way, "Was this Cloud Strife, by chance?"

It was so much like that confrontation in the hallway, Zack noticed. There was something in his general's stare and tone of voice that put him on immediate defense. He straightened his neck, "What's it to you?"

A noise of discomfort escaped Angeal, who had still not agreed to explore this subject with Zack. He'd heard about Cloud many, many times before he'd actually met him, courtesy of his student (ex-student!). He hadn't connected the dots until Zack had laughed in his face and told him that no, Spikey was actually not someone's real name, but a nickname for none other than Cloud Strife. Go figure.

The situation remained difficult. If they made Zack suspicious of them by tailing Cloud, Zack would pull away, or even worse, alert Cloud to their knowledge. If they didn't ask for any information at all, they'd be stuck where they were for gods knew how long. He glanced at Sephiroth and Genesis' faces, wondering if they realized how much this could spiral out of control and cost them their tentative relationships with Zackary Fair.

"I'm simply curious."

Zack presented his silver-haired friend with an uncharacteristic glare, "Did he accept your…offer?"

"What offer?" Genesis inquired irately "There was an offer?!"

"Oh, you haven't heard? Our general here decided to ask Cloud out on a date."

Angeal winced at the flippant and angry picture Zack made. It had been clear to him, through listening to Zack talk about this mysterious cadet for so long, that the newly-made first had some kind of hidden feelings for the blond. He pointedly ignored the jealously roaring in the back of head at the idea of the young man holding Zack's heart. That meant nothing. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.

"YOU WHAT?!" Genesis screeched, pulling Angeal out of his internal conflict.

"I'll explain later."

"Fuck that, you'll explain now!"

The general sighed irately, "I wished to spend more time with him, Genesis." He could see the exact moment that Genesis understood the implication, and admired the telltale, mischievous smirk that basically said, 'Huh. Didn't think you had it in you.'

"He turned me down but offered me friendship," The silver-haired man sighed, "Friendblocking, I know."

"It's friend _zoning_ ," Zack chuckled, and then returned his face right back into anger because he wasn't going to fall for the general's charm, oh no. Not today. "Anyway," he continued, "why do you want to know where Cloud is so badly?"

"We wished to invite him to dinner," Genesis cut-in, "We all know him in one way another. Wouldn't it be nice to all be in one place and enjoy the delicious meal Angel made?"

"Don't call me that," Angeal grumbled.

"I…guess?" Zack offered, anger crumbling into heady guilt. Why was he being so difficult with them? There was no way Sephiroth, Genesis, and especially Angeal could mean any harm to his friend.

"It's okay if you'd rather not have us together," his mentor spoke, "we just wanted to get to know him a little better, as a group. Maybe you could tell us about his early days here?"

The other two members of the golden trio met Angeal's subtle nod with ones of their own. It seemed they were all on-board with the plan now. "Seph, why don't you help me lay out the food."

As the two walked into the kitchen they heard Genesis comment, "I hear he's from Nibelheim. That's quite a far distance to visit home."

"Well," Zack began uncertainly, "He doesn't really visit. Only has his mom there, and the rest of the village is a bag of dicks, I think. They weren't really nice to him as a kid. BUT," Zack interrupted himself, "he writes letters to his mom a lot. I think they're close."

Carrying fresh hot bread in one hand and steamed fish in the other, Sephiroth was greeted back to the table by the younger soldier's uncomfortable expression. It seemed that Zack was unsure how much was appropriate to reveal about his comrade.

"Rest assured, Zack, we will not judge. We want to be his friend, that's all."

Zack was not assured, but as they ate and ate and ate while talking about Cloud he couldn't help but open up under their interest. Zack hoped that he was painting Cloud in the right light, or at least the way the blond wanted to be seen by the elite soldiers. Admittedly, he was still getting used to the idea of his cadet both knowing and hanging out with the others. How the hell did that happen again?

"Hey Gen," he paused to swallow a too-large piece of bread, "How did you meet Spike? He hasn't really told me."

Genesis tried not to be taken aback by his nickname being uttered from the younger soldier's lips. Wiping his hands with a cloth napkin, the red-haired commander hummed in thought, "Well, he started coming around to my library. I left him alone for a while and eventually asked for a name."

Zack's brows flew to his forehead, "That's it? That's all I get?"

"What do you mean 'that's all I get'?"

"I mean, you're like the writer guy. You complain all the time when we don't spill every last detail, but I don't get anything back? C'mon."

Genesis squinted at him, "You…you want me to talk more?"

"Uh..Yeah," Zack replied while throwing Angeal a worried look, "Do you not want to?"

Angeal lowered his head to smile at his plate, giddiness flowing in from the sight of his two disparate friends finally making a connection. Genesis, meanwhile, couldn't climb of out of confusion. After all the taunting and insulting they'd done to each other, why would the puppy care to _try_?

"I don't want to bore you with my droning."

Zack laughed openly, "I won't be bored, promise. Besides, I'd like to know what my little spike is like around others. He's never been so…social before. It's been throwing me off a little."

"uh," Genesis uncharacteristically stuttered, earning Zack's encouraging smile in response. Goodness, was this the charisma that Geal' had been bragging about for so long?

"The little brat tried to convince me that he was a board member, or a terrorist or something."

Zack's fork collided with his plate before he exclaimed, "How the heck did he do that? WHY would he do that?!"

"I don't think he knew who I was, and wanted to be left alone. I may have been bothering him a little."

"Probably a lot," Sephiroth quietly added, earning a swift kick under the table.

"Doesn't matter! He wouldn't tell me who he was because it was apparently a secret. Told me Cloud was his name and then LIED by telling me it was FAKE."

Genesis' irritation escalated as Zack's barely contained laughter came out in sputters, "He, he what?!"

"Stop laughing! The kid has a poker face like a Turk. Are we sure he isn't an undercover one? Maybe in contact with them?"

The mention of the Turks killed Zack's humor fast. Lips downturned at the thought of Reno and what the idiot could possibly know.

Sephiroth zeroed in on the expression, "Zack. You'd tell us if someone were trying to harm the company, right?"

Just like that, the congenial atmosphere that Angeal had waited so, so long to accomplish between his three friends vanished. It was always business, always work. Always responsibility and honor stepping into his home and cutting him off from what he truly wanted. A hand stealthy clutched his under the table.

Genesis watched on in interest as he offered his childhood friend comfort.

"What is it about Cloud that intrigues you, Sephiroth? You seem very adamant about getting him in trouble," Zack responded. He vaguely felt the need to give in and just tell them about his friend. The lies, the late nights and random people Cloud seemed to gather under the guise of being busy were driving him crazy. Zack knew Cloud was keeping a secret, and he'd been resolved to figure it out on his own.

What if the three men in front of him had the same suspicions?

"Not trouble," Sephiroth smoothed, "he just has a few unusual tendencies and connections that have me a little concerned. "

"Rest assured, General," Zack responded while wiping his hands and coming to stand, "if he was doing anything, I certainly wouldn't tell you."

Shock was not a common expression others saw on the general, and as Zack ignored his mentor's pleas while closing the door behind him, a small amount of pride filled his chest.

ShinRa and SOLDIER be dammed, they weren't touching Cloud.

* * *

"Where did you get that."

Cloud's mirror image smiled innocently, "The room with all the weapons."

"…the room with all the weapons that's patrolled 24/7?"

"Yes."

"That has at least three cameras outside and like, six on the inside?"

"Yes."

They were huddled together on the roof, taking full advantage of the lack of security and the cloak of night. Glinting slowly in the palm of Maya's hand was an esuna she'd _acquired_ without telling him.

"I'm gonna get thrown in jail, aren't I?"

Okay, so maybe he had straight up told Maya that this was a hurdle he could not surpass, because how was he supposed to one, get an esuna, two learn to use materia, and three do it in secret? It seemed she'd taken things in her own hands, consequences be damned.

"Don't worry," she patted his shoulder, "I didn't use your body for this one. Someone else will probably be going to jail!"

"Don't smile when you say things like that!" The blond cadet groaned and planted his face in his hands, "This doesn't solve anything, Maya. Why do you need me to do this?"

Her demeanor altered, morphing into an expression he'd seen on himself many times before. Nostalgia and regret. A slow summer breeze pushed at Maya's blonde spikes, identical to his own.

"Even spirits change, you know. I liked to pretend to be other people and get their friends attention. It was funny to me, that everyone would get so confused and weird about it. One day I'd be a baker, the next I'd be a girl in the woods, I could look like anyone I wanted to, so I rarely looked like myself."

Maya gazed up at where the stars should have been, past the layer of smog and light, "I got bored eventually. Decided it would be more fun to take on the image of other spirits like me, and it was so fun. I'd watch people pray and appear before them, as their patron god or goddess. It was magical, to make others so happy."

Cloud smiled at the thought, "That does sound pretty cool."

"Yeah," Maya's expression fell, "but some gods don't like it when you pretend to be them. It was fine for a while. I got some lectures and threats from some of them, but that only made me want to do it more. I mean, they weren't giving their followers hope, why was it so wrong for me to?"

"Well," Cloud sighed, "if I've learned anything about your kind, it's that you all work in very different ways. Some give signs, others guide though destined events, and some won't interfere at all."

"I know that now, but I didn't know it then. I saw it as indifference and cruelty. Honestly," Maya's voice wavered, "I think I might have been jealous. People rarely pray to their gods anymore."

The blond carefully worded his question before asking, "Are your followers not trying?"

"Cloud. I have no followers anymore. I have nothing."

What was he supposed to say to that? He bit his lip in frustration, "You have me?"

Maya chuckled sardonically, "I crossed a line one day. Impersonated a God that I'd crossed before. He told me that if I refused to be who I was, he'd make it so that I didn't have a choice. He trapped me in my own illusions. I haven't been myself in decades."

Cloud jolted, "Wait, you can't look like…like you?"

"No. Cloud it's been so long. I forgot how….I know I had longer hair, tan skin, but I can't remember the details. I don't want to be an illusion anymore. I want to be me!"

" _Oh, the little brat thinks she can get away from her punishment?_ "

Eyes shining with sudden tears and shock, Maya screeched, "CLOUD RUN!"

Dread curled in the pit of his stomach, climbing higher and higher until it clutched at his heart and blocked his throat. The city lights seemed duller, the ground darker, Maya father away.

" _There is no need to run, my child_."

Cloud shivered as he felt the voice speak into his ear, and heard an echo in his mind.

" _We are destined for one another, you and I._ "

His vision was blurring, but he couldn't tell if it was the darkness swirling around them or his own eyes failing. A cold hand touched the skin above his heart-

"What the fuck is happening up here yo!"

And suddenly, the darkness dissipated. The woman's voice hissed into his ear before retracting her touch. One more burst of wind brought Cloud to his hands, and he wondered distantly when he'd kneeled on the floor.

Cloud struggled to gain his bearings, and when he looked up he was greeted with a sight he'd been avoiding for over a year: Reno, shocked and confused. Glancing back and forth between him and his lookalike. Taser revved and ready to attack.

"What the hell is goin' on, Cloud!"

* * *

Author's Note: I'm so happy to say that this story has reached over 100 reviews! I never thought so many people would both read my work and be willing to talk to me about it! If you find the time, please drop a review and let me know if there are any errors that need addressing or if you like the content.

Thanks so much for your support!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own the FF series, just this this story regarding one of them.

* * *

Cloud had never been the kind of person to call it quits. Even in the most hopeless situations he genuinely believed there was a way to persevere, but as he got to his feet and took in Reno's hard, accusatory stare, he knew it was time to stop.

"Who is this? I know you don't have a fucking twin brother, so don't even pull that."

The blond cadet licked his chapped lips and directed his gaze to a sorrowful Maya, who had promised him that she'd never blow her cover or compromise his secret.

"I ain't got all day. Is this one of your _friends_ you've been talking about all this time?"

"Yes," Cloud breathed out, calmly walking toward his mirror image, "this is one of them. " He swallowed the lump in his throat and turned to Maya, "Maya, this is Reno. He's a Turk and very persistent. Don't let him intimidate you."

She nodded uncertainly.

"Reno," Cloud turned to face the red-haired man, "This is Maya. She's a deity of illusions and currently in my image. The reason why is a long story."

"….what?" Reno deadpanned.

"He's telling the truth!" Maya spoke up in her highly feminine voice, making Reno's eyes widen. No doubt seeing another Cloud talk like a girl would be alarming. Maya huffed at his reaction, and in a flash of light her blond hair became red, her stature taller, her outfit switched from cadet uniform to suit.

"What the hell," Reno groaned as he gazed at himself, "Cloud why. Why are you doing this to me."

Cloud sputtered, "I'm not doing anything! You wanted to know so bad!"

"Yeah, we were doing just fine without you," Maya sassed with her hands on her hips.

"Can you just- ugh. Go back to being Cloud please?" Reno implored awkwardly as he ran a hand through his hair, "This feels like a gaiadamn dream or something."

"It can be," Cloud slipped in, "If you don't want to be involved, leave and don't say a word to anyone else. I never meant for you to know."

Reno took in the blond cadet's shoulders, pulled back and stable, his lax yet balanced stance, the gaze in his eyes both understanding and intense. Somewhere along the way, Cloud Strife had become a confident motherfucker, and for the life of him, Reno could not figure out how.

"You say you never meant for me to know. What does that mean exactly? Your friend here has some freaky power- sure. You said she was a deity? I dunno bout that man," Reno paused to gauge a reaction from the blond, "But I ain't backing out of the most interesting thing to happen round' here since Rhapsodos' fire spree. Let's go back to my place, yo. It's freezing."

Stoicism became surprise, and Cloud had no time to formulate a proper response before Reno was shoving his hood over his head and tugging Maya to the door. Maybe this could lead to something good. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't regret telling Reno before he told Zack.

Zack would understand.

* * *

"I don't understand," Zack groaned as he tilted precariously in his chair.

It had been a week since he'd walked out on Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth. They'd all attempted to reach him in their own ways: Angeal by talking to the silent door of his apartment, Sephiroth by awkward email, and surprisingly, Genesis via dramatic letter. Despite the prevailing guilt he felt for leaving and the acute loneliness of not having talked to them nor Cloud for so long, Zack felt it necessary to continue the solitude he'd created. He needed time to think.

Maybe, he theorized, the only way to make time to investigate Cloud's secret was to keep his actions a secret of his own. Maybe that was why Cloud had lied to him about being busy so often. Whatever his cadet was doing, it required secrecy and space from others who weren't involved. Ergo, Zack was going to employ Cloud-like behavior and make like a ghost in the nighttime.

The soldier sighed and laid his head atop crossed arms, feeling the wood of the rarely-used desk slowly heat. It had been a week, only a week, and he was exhausted, as well as guilt-ridden, from evading his three friends at every turn. Maybe this was how Cloud had felt for the past year. His mind's eye flashed back to the instances in which Cloud had told him he was going to be busy studying, busy training, had been away from his phone, forgot to check his email. The averted gazes and the too-quiet excuses demanded his attention now. There had been signs all along.

And he'd missed them.

But Cloud did not have the benefit of being both the evader and the chaser, as he currently was. Cloud did not understand what Zack's role was to him, in the same way that Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth did not understand where they stood. This was one wild chocobo chase, and Zack had absolutely no idea what it would lead them all to. Forced optimism flooded his chest, top heavy and encompassing, as he looked forward to meet his own unsure eyes in the speckled mirror. He had a feeling he was stepping ever closer into the dark and unknown. But as usual, he forced the smile to reach his eyes and retired to the safety of his empty bed.

* * *

"You smoke yo?"

Cloud gazed disinterestedly at the half-smoked cigarette offered from Reno's fingers, the ember red of fire glowing amongst the night separating them.

"Fine, geez," The turk scoffed, bringing the item back and inhaling. Cloud watched as the red consumed the land between cold air and chapped lips, likening the color to Genesis' hair in the dim, dusty solitude of their library, remembering the uncharacteristic, gentle smiles that stayed long after they'd stopped talking about ShinRa, about life, about books, too. Gaia, did he miss those moments. Now, as he precariously leaned forward on Reno's creaking, 4th story balcony fence, Cloud was forced to recognize that those days were long gone. Unplanned events were speeding up to him, and if he wanted to avoid getting swallowed by that unknown, malign spirit, there was no way he could spend time relaxing anymore. No, from here on out Maya and his mission had to come first.

Cloud wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when Reno had brought him to his place. Maybe he really had wanted a partner in crime, someone that would keep his secret and help him carry out his responsibilities for Maya and the rest, but things often didn't work out as he fantasized. No, Reno had not offered partnership or assistance, he hadn't really even promised his silence either. Maya had left a scant half hour earlier to "let them talk things out" without her, but Cloud would have to return to her empty handed. She'd overestimated their friendship, if you could even call it that. As he took in the dark circles under Reno's eyes and the slight shaking of his cigarette hand, the blond began to regret having given in to the older man's demands.

Cloud hadn't been ready to tell anyone; Reno hadn't been ready to listen.

"You can relax," Reno chided, exhaling a slow cloud of smoke, "I'm not gonna say anything as long as you don't do something stupid."

"What would 'stupid' be for you?"

"Like get caught doing something illegal, or come under suspicion so often that I get assigned to you," Reno lectured. He had to hand it to Cloud for keeping up the charade for so long, but that was definitely due to the unanticipated supernatural source. He had a distinct feeling that if the reason had been more normal, if Cloud had been a terrorist or a spy of some sort, the cadet wouldn't have been able to keep things under wraps for long. The kid was messy when he thought he was discrete, and the only reason why no one had questioned his behavior was because no one was looking.

"Stupid means you forget to check if you're alone before you talk to one of your _friends_. It means you run into a buddy who you've made excuses to and they want answers. It means someone hears you talking to yourself or, even worse, sees you doing some sneaky shit. Do you have answers memorized for those moments?"

"…"

Reno puffed out his last breath into the chill air and threw down his bud, "Yeah, thought not."

"I don't need your help, Reno. Don't look at me like that- I've been doing this for a while and Maya just…she's been more difficult to handle than the rest of them. "

"And the freaky shadow thing that I saw almost eat you was under control?"

Cloud's mouth opened and closed like a fish. To be honest, he hadn't had the time to consider what that was and how to go about hiding from it. Gaia, if Reno hadn't distracted whatever that was in time…

"I was unprepared for that. It won't be the case next time."

Reno stared at him in bemusement, green eyes staring straight into Cloud's hardened blue, "O-kay man. Whatever you say. I'm not gonna be the one explaining to Fairboy why some shadow thing gobbled you up, hear me? Don't got time for your guard dog blaming shit on me."

Cloud made an indignant noise that he couldn't quite keep to himself and followed Reno into the dark, muggy living room of the apartment. Hands rubbing together, the blond admired the way the lights outside Reno's windows bloomed from night fog. Fall was swiftly coming to end, and with it, change would inevitably come. As he took a seat on a rarely-used leather chair, Reno called from the kitchen, "Could you get him off my back, maybe?"

The cadet furrowed his eyebrows as he attempted to retrace his thoughts to whatever the hell topic Reno had been going on about. Fatigue swept through him fast, untensing his legs and chest and neck. Lolling his head to the back of the chair in laziness, Cloud loudly muttered, "Get who off your back?"

"Zack. He's always been a little protective, but damn he let me have it the other night."

Just like that, he was back on high alert. Resting his elbows on his knees, Cloud watched as Reno returned to take a seat across from him, two beers in tow. Once settled, Cloud prodded, "Zack? What did he do?"

"Was asking about you, yo. What you've been up to and if I knew anything," Reno paused to uncap a beer and offer it to the cadet, "I think he's on to you."

A hand mechanically rose to grip the object, more a reflex than genuine desire for a drink, "What do you mean he's on to me? I've been pretty careful. There's no way he-"

"I mean," Reno slowly interrupted, "he's suspicious of you, and you'd better be more careful from here on out. He may not be Turk, but SOLDIER is nothing to laugh at." The redhead watched as Cloud took a swing of his beer, "I wasn't kidding when I said to cover your tracks."

Cloud closed his eyes as he felt his frustration rise. It was easy enough to be told to be careful, but something altogether to actually live it. At least as a turk, Reno had a team of people to rely on for information, guidance and help. Cloud blearily set his drink down and stood, "Sure. I'm gonna take off now, if it's all the same to you." He was halfway to the door when Reno made to stand.

"Why is it that you haven't told Zackary Fair? From what I've seen, he's your best friend. Why tell me before him?"

"I don't know," Cloud chuckled sardonically, feeling derailed from the last three hours and the threat of psychological manipulation, "maybe I thought he wouldn't believe me."

Green eyes narrowed in interest, "It was less likely for me to believe you. Way less chance for me to consider helping in any capacity."

"Yeah", Cloud agreed tartly, running a hand through his hair in frustration, "So what?"

Reno took in the visage of the once-shy cadet, unable to draw comparisons from when he first met Cloud, years ago, to the secretive young man before him. It seemed he was more complex than he had let on. Reno retorted, "So what? Why would you tell a secret to someone who, in no way, would offer to help you when you had a perfectly stable, dependable, and loyal friend closer-"

"I put up with a lot of shit back in Nibelheim," Cloud interjected, voice breaking, "A lot of shit and I didn't need anyone to get here."

The cadet knew he was shaking. He was shaking and he was breaking down in front of a man who, true to his word, would not help him with the weight of responsibility he'd unwillingly received. Wrapped in his thoughts, Cloud hadn't seen Reno come closer and jumped when the redhead placed a hand on the battered doorknob next to him.

"Cloud, do you know why I live here?"

Taken aback, the blond looked confusedly at the man a foot away from him, "No?"

Reno turned his gaze to the darkened room they'd sat in, prompting Cloud to do the same. It was a small apartment. A little dingy and stuffy. The carpet was a dulled brown with stains here and there- a detail Cloud hadn't noticed till now. The sliding door to the balcony was cracked in some places, and the rest of the windows held yellowing blinds. Cloud assumed the kitchen and bedroom looked equally worn. One thing that now caught his eye, however, was how this juxtaposed with the new, black leather furniture and the large, flat screen TV. It clashed with the abstract, colorful paintings on the peeling walls and the antique-looking lamp atop a pristine, oak table.

"It looks weird right?" Reno laughed, dangerously close to sounding self-critical, "It looks weird to have all this new stuff in this shit apartment."

"Does Tseng make you stay here?" The blond guessed. Who knew? Maybe the turks were forced to live all around Midgar in order to keep an eye on things.

"No," Reno scoffed, "Gaia no. He's been asking me to move to a better sector for a long time."

Cloud stared uncertainly, "Then…?"

"I didn't have such a great childhood either. No parents. No place to live. When I got this job and enough to rent this place," Reno laughed, "I was so happy man. So fucking happy."

"And you don't want to move to a better place…because of that memory?"

Reno's eyes fixated on an empty wall, "It feels wrong to leave, somehow."

As Cloud took in the apartment again, he envisioned what it must've meant to Reno years ago. He thought about how he'd feel in the same scenario. Caught between two worlds, between past and future. Unsure how to go on without turning his back on where he came from, who he'd prided himself on being.

"I'm not gonna lie, things would be easier for me if I just moved, and easier for you if you just told Zack the truth. Put away that fear of letting people in and get the help you need. But,"

The door beside him creaked open, prompting an introspective Cloud to turn to Reno and the open, dim hallway.

"I'm not gonna be the one to tell you to let the past go."

* * *

The grey morning greeted Cloud through sticky eyelids and bad breath. He took his time waking, opting to listen in on a bunkmate's newest tall tale from the night before. A glance at the space between the blinds of the shared window kick-started his plans for the day. He'd meant to go check on the garden, after having not done so in weeks, but he wouldn't be able to do much in the rain.

"Not meant to be," he whispered aloud as he descended from the top bunk. One complete morning routine later found him packing up books and notes for a much needed, all-day study session. Oddly enough, this would be the first time he'd go to the library to actually study for his classes, though the back of his mind entertained an idea for solving Maya's problem, and it required research.

By the time he'd made it to the relative safety of the next building, feet wet from holes in his shoes, Cloud had decided his course of action. He'd study, contact Maya, gather info, and then research. Somewhere in his head a voice told him there'd be a possibility of Genesis stopping by, and it'd be wiser to do his homework at a café rather than the library. Truth be told, such a distraction could very well stunt his productivity, but Cloud found himself more inclined to believe that the distraction would be necessary, a break, maybe.

Cloud sighed and pushed the doors to the library open, feeling stupid for wanting the red-haired commander's attention so frequently. Between the ruckus Zack created at Kunsel's birthday party and Maya's close calls, he hadn't had time to see anyone. He tried hard not to be disappointed when the dreary, dark book-filled room greeted him, much less vibrant seeming than when Gen was around.

He sprawled out on an aisle floor instead of the comfort of the couch, feeling more secure amongst the tall bookshelves and the light of the window beside him. Slowly, he crossed off assignments on his task list as he went through them with vigor, but by the third reading assignment the words began to blur and he couldn't quite focus. He closed his eyes and listened as the pitter pats outside became pebbles launched at full force; Midgar hadn't had hail for such a long time. The change was welcome.

He took the time to breathe, finding the tension when he could inhale no more and exhaling until his stomach clenched. His hands lie in his lap, head tilted upward and held aloft by the shelf behind him. In no time at all, he was dreaming.

"You are not permitted to sleep here, Cadet."

Cloud jump-started, unsure if the voice was in his head or outside of him. A hurried glance to his right granted him full view of General Sephiroth in all his glory. Well, all his casual glory. The blond tore his eyes away from Sephiroth's navy slacks and black sweater to meet the general's gaze.

"..W-what?"

Something akin to amusement (or was that irritation?) filled the older man's eyes, "I said, Cadet, you are not permitted to sleep in public spaces outside of your bunk."

"…" Cloud slowly blinked at his superior, too tired to formulate a proper response.

"Are you working on your classwork?"

Cloud turned his gaze to the mess of papers around him and groaned, realizing that he had no idea where he stopped reading. A chuckle interrupted his lamentations, and Cloud indignantly glared at Sephiroth, "Trying to."

"Yes, I'm sure you were trying your best with closed eyes."

"I was meditating on the material."

"That's quite a long time to meditate."

"…" Cloud opened and closed his mouth, torn between confusion that the general was teasing him and the realization that he'd been watching him sleep, for _quite a long time_. How long had he been out?

"What time is it..sir?" Cloud tacked on, unsure if he was permitted to be so informal. He stood as the general withdrew his PHS from a pocket.

"16:52."

Damn. He hadn't gotten much done at all. Green, piercing eyes studied him as he bent to collect his papers. They continued to stare as he shoved the pile and his books into the bulging messenger bag. Slightly irritated, Cloud stepped forward to get passed his superior, but the silver-haired man did not budge. Or say anything. Just stared.

"Yes, General? Can I help you with something?"

Sephiroth's frown twitched, no doubt from the barely-concealed attitude in the cadet's voice, "No. Though I came to find Genesis. Have you seen him?"

"No," the blonde shifted his weight, "I thought he'd be here too."

The general hummed, "Then let us seek him out together."

"Oh. Uh- I didn't mean I was _looking_ looking for him-"

"That doesn't make any sense. You were either looking for him or not. No matter, I will accompany you to your quarters in order to store your materials- we may be walking for a while."

Half a protest welled up in Cloud's throat, dying swiftly when the general turned heel and allowed him no time to voice it. At the very least, he had completed most of the school work he had hoped to do.

"But nothing for Maya.."

"What was that, Cadet?"

Cloud straightened, "Nothing, Sir."

The walk to his bunk was awkward, to say the least. Curious gazes followed them as they entered the cadet quarters, which was understandable. Cloud doubted General Sephiroth had ever ventured into his area before, and certainly not for a mere cadet to drop off his books. Did Sephiroth ever hang out with cadets? Owlish glances turned his way as his bunkmates caught sight of the general, half of them awkwardly saluting and the rest sent him expressions that read, "WTF man, are you in trouble?" Hastily shoving his backpack onto his top bunk (because Gaia the general was just standing in the doorway freaking everyone out), Cloud tore out of the room and slammed the door.

"Let's mosey," He sighed and unconsciously took the lead.

Sephiroth followed at a respectful distance, but a weird one too. Not too close to make him uncomfortable, but too far to initiate a conversation. Cloud prayed that Genesis would suddenly prance into view every time they rounded a corner back to the lobby, but they were out of headquarters before he knew it.

"Let us go to the café first."

"What café?"

"The one you work at."

Silence filled the gap between them as Cloud squinted his eyes in confusion, "I don't work at a café."

The general quirked a brow, "Then why were you assisting when I went to receive coffee long ago?"

The light bulb went off in Cloud's head, "Oh! That was a while back, wasn't it? I was helping out my friend that works there. She was short-staffed and I wanted to make sure she didn't get fired. "

"That is considerate of you."

"…thank you."

They couldn't have gotten to the café faster. As Sephiroth went up to the barista (not Rikku), Cloud took the opportunity to read all his texts and emails that'd been left unread. He held his breath and hoped that Zack hadn't messaged too many times, but found himself at a loss when there wasn't a single "hey Spikey" from the first class soldier. That couldn't be right. It'd been a few weeks since Cloud had last seen him.

"Are you ill at ease?"

It seemed Angeal's hobby of sneaking up on him had honed his skills, because he didn't move an inch when Sephiroth suddenly appeared again. Cloud considered his answer, taking time to register that he hadn't seen Angeal too in, Gaia, weeks now. Angeal would've told him if Zack had left on a long mission- no, wait- ZACK would have told him if he had a long mission. Was he sick? Incredibly busy? Found someone else to hang out with?

Cloud swallowed down petty jealousy and hurt, "Uh. Maybe. Have you heard from Zack lately? He usually gets in touch by now…"

Cloud scrolled through the spam folder while he waited for Sephiroth to respond, but he didn't. Blue eyes rose to meet unfocused green, and his heart rate sped up considerably. "Sephiroth, did something happen to him? Did he go on a mission? Is he MIA? Where di-"

"Calm yourself, Cloud," Sephiroth interceded, "Zack has not been sent on any missions in the past month. He's safe in headquarters."

Sephiroth's smooth voice quelled Cloud's fears more than he'd like to admit, sending waves of comfort that the cadet didn't think the so-called "emotionless" general was capable of evoking. The blond accepted a coffee cup offered to him, belatedly processing that the general had just bought him a beverage.

"Though I myself have not seen nor heard from him in quite some time. I attempted communication, as did Angeal and Genesis to no avail," he confessed, opening the café door and leading them down Main Street. "Angeal has not yet stopped trying. It is disconcerting to hear that Zack has not been in contact with you either."

Cloud blinked confusedly at this new development. Zack had never been the kind to hide away from his friends; no, that was up his own alley, not the exuberant soldier's. "Did he give any warning? We were getting along pretty well last we talked, and he seemed okay."

Sephiroth took a sip of his drink, peering at the ostentatiously decorated store windows, "Yes. We may be the cause for his distance, I'm afraid."

"We as in..me?

"No, as in myself, Genesis, and Angeal."

Cloud again waited for the general to elaborate, taking time to taste the drink Sephiroth had chosen for him. When enough silence had elapsed to convince the blond that Sephiroth wasn't going to continue, he lifted his cup in thanks, "Good choice, by the way. Out of curiosity, why didn't you get me a normal coffee? I drink it too."

The silver-haired man scoffed, "I dislike coffee. It is often bitter and makes Genesis turn into a bouncing chocobo. Liquid chocolate seems like a much more viable option for enjoyment, do you not agree?"

Secretly, Cloud didn't, "Yeah, definitely."

"You avert your eyes when you lie, Cadet."

"Only when the lie is minuscule, I assure you."

His response was an exhale of air that Cloud presumed was a Sephiroth laugh. The blond's lips quirked upwards in amusement, and he looked ahead of them to see an ornate, gushing fountain. They'd stumbled across Loveless Ave, and the chances of Genesis being in the vicinity were high. As the couple drew closer to the water structure, Cloud looked upon it with more aware eyes.

Three bronze women swerved about the feet of another, each holding a vase that drew the water into a luminescent basin. He'd passed the structure numerous times now, yet the women seemed familiar in some way. Blatantly ignoring the general (because he assumed he was now permitted to treat him casually), the inquisitive blond circled the curious fountain. The women looked near identical, though one had a lily in her floating hair, another held what looked like an inactive fire materia in her empty hand, and the last had shoulders decorated with leaves. These were small details that meant nothing, yet definitively jarred something in Cloud.

Flowers, fire, leaves. Excitement welled inside him as he began to put faces to names.

"Carpo and her sisters…"

"I did not know you were a fan of mythology. It must be why Genesis finds kinship with you." Sephiroth drew his gaze from Cloud's speculative expression back to the fountain, "It was commissioned a number of years ago with donation money from the theatre's backers. There's a famous play that involves the three at the bottom. If I recall correctly, it regarded a mortal's attempt to sway the sisters into changing the times of the seasons in order to scare an invading army away with the threat of winter. You find in the end that, after months of challenges and obstacles, the three do not have jurisdiction over the winter season. The army invades and the man dies."

"That…" Cloud uttered, "that sounds like a horrible play. Why would anyone want to see this fountain and envision those images?"

Sephiroth hummed, "Genesis loves the tale. He says it's representative of the growing ignorance of modern peoples from their histories. The man should have known what powers the three goddesses held before sacrificing so much to find them, but he had grown up disbelieving in the gods. He was deficient in the knowledge needed to help save his city. Turn away from the gods, and they will be unable to assist you."

"Why does it have to be about gods?" Cloud petulantly interceded, feeling defensive on behalf of Carpo, "Can it not instead be commentary regarding the futility of humans and their inability to resolve conflicts peacefully? Could the man have prepared himself better for the battle instead of seeking out divine power? I think this statue represents the eyes of gods watching us fight one another. I think it represents hope that we end our careless ways and embrace, I don't know, beauty or something instead."

At a lack of response, Cloud turned to Sephiroth with conviction, "Besides, we should be lucky to have concrete seasons and potential deities that could ensure their arrival. Why turn something naturally beautiful like winter into a weapon? It isn't supposed to be." He paused to raise his eyes to the center woman in the structure, who also seemed familiar from elsewhere. One detail caused his curiosity to rise: the scales clutched to her breast. "Do you know who the centerfold woman is?"

Sephiroth stared at him again with an odd glint in his eyes, "Yes, she's one of the most prevalent figures in mythology and play writing. Her name escapes me now. Returning to your analysis of the statue, people turn nature and beauty into weapons all the time. What of mako? Or the forests that have been decimated to construct cities? It has happened since the beginning of time, and it will continue. But, does making something into a weapon necessarily make it unbeautiful? If you join my army and become SOLDIER, will you no longer be considered such because of your newfound abilities?"

Cloud's mind was on rapid fire, doing its best to come up with another topic without seeming panicked. Did Sephiroth just indirectly call him… "How about the theatre? Genesis might be in there."

Sephiroth took the change in topic easily, "Likely closed, they aren't playing anything tonight."

"But they might be rehearsing."

Sephiroth considered the idea, tapping the lid of his cup in thought, "Alright. Let's investigate."

The perks of being with the general were endless, it seemed. Three sharp knocks later found an erratic, expectant stage assistant ushering them inside. Once in the main auditorium Cloud whispered, "Do you always get let in to places that easily?"

The older man began to walk down an aisle, sitting in the middle with a certainty that made Cloud wonder if the seat was Sephiroth's favorite. Sephiroth beckoned the cadet over, "Yes, I usually do, though I come to this place fairly often on the same business."

"Same business?" Cloud echoed, "You look around town for him often? Why don't you just call?"

"That would be breaking the rules, and it's futile. Genesis wouldn't answer his phone during one of our chases."

"…chases?"

"Yes. He often initiates them by not being present somewhere we agreed to meet. It is my duty to seek him out, though this auditorium is often closed at this time. He's usually harassing some cadets near the lobby, in the café, or in his library. Today he's ambitious."

"Hide and seek."

"What?" Sephiroth questioned, absentmindedly watching the actors rehearse.

"You two are playing hide and seek."

"Hm," Sephiroth mused, "I suppose so. It has been a tradition since the birth of our friendship, and we were children then."

Cloud barely had time to process this before a strong arm wrapped around his neck and pulled him toward Sephiroth. Red hair tickled his face as he fought to get free.

"Ah! Isn't it two of my favorite people working together to find me. Nothing more pure exists than this."

The cadet managed to unwrap himself from Genesis' tangle while Sephiroth sighed, "Genesis. You were supposed to have the reports done by 10am. When I came to retrieve them you were nowhere to be found, and your paperwork stack was replaced with the ring. Those papers are company pro-"

"Yes, yes, I know. They're safe and sound at my apartment. Walk me there and I'll give them to you. You too, Cloud. I won't give it to him if you aren't there as well."

"Uh," Cloud protested, but the sound went unheard as the two maneuvered out of aisle and toward the exit. He distantly heard them banter as they walked toward home, exchanging some insults in good humor. It reminded him of Zack and himself.

"Here- try not to use it on work time, Genesis."

The commander scoffed and accepted the ring, removing a black glove and sliding it on his finger, "The only time I desire to use it is during work."

Cloud did his best to connect the dots, assuming Gen's ring was a calling card of sorts, which the general took to be the start of their hide and seek contests. It was a little endearing to see the two seasoned warriors interacting in such a way; it made him want to be a part of it too.

It was only when Genesis had slid his keycard in the elevator and pressed a higher floor than he'd ever explored that Cloud realized what was happening. He was going to Genesis' house. With the general. Who had bought him hot chocolate that he hadn't finished. Cloud gulped down the remainder of the drink as the other two bickered over who had won their last spar.

Just like that, he was in.

The first thing he noticed was that the room was toasty and very, very, burgundy. Dark mahogany furniture accented the leather bound books set upon them, most likely ones from the library he was just in that morning. Genesis walked over to the kitchen, which, at a small glance, seemed to be gleaming with copper pans and indigo tiles. How in the world was this apartment in the same building?

"Don't dally, Genesis. I need those reports."

"Oh, calm down," the man chided from the kitchen, "I sent them in with Angeal's stack. Lazard probably has them by now."

"..So I've chased you down and come here for nothing."

"Of course not," Genesis retorted, voice becoming clearer as he appeared again in the living room, "You're here for tea with Cloud and I."

"I dislike tea- I prefer-"

"Yes, yes I know. You're drinking it anyway."

They fought like an old married couple. Cloud bit his lip in an effort to stay composed as Sephiroth glared daggers at his bossy commander.

"So, Cloud," Genesis purred, "How have you been?"

"Okay, I guess. My courses are getting a little harder, so I'm trying to keep up."

Genesis silently handed him a mug of tea, warm fingers brushing against his chilled own for a little too long.

"Uh. But, I'm hoping to do the exams next fall. I'm a little worried about my stances and stuff. Zack stopped training with me a while back."

"Why is that?" Genesis gently prodded, smirking at a petulant Sephiroth as the general took his own cup, "Calm down Seph. It's just tea."

"It's dry leaf water," Sephiroth muttered under his breath.

"I was asking Sephiroth about Zack today, actually. He stopped talking to me a few weeks ago and I can't figure out why."

Genesis nodded in acknowledgement, "Yes, that was Sephiroth's fault."

"It was not."

"Shut up and drink your leaf water. I'm talking to Cloud, not you."

The general's posture slumped a tiny bit, making Cloud ungracefully sputter into his tea with repressed laughter.

"Angeal, Seph and I were grilling Zack about you. We wanted him to invite you to one of our dinners, since each of us are friends and all. He got a little distant towards the end though. It may have been because Sephiroth asked you out once."

Blond eyebrows furrowed, "Why would that matter?"

"Oh, cause Zackary likes you, of course."

Now it was time for Sephiroth to sputter into his tea. Caught in bemusement and confusion, Cloud missed the warning glare Sephiroth threw Genesis' way and the responding smirk from the red head.

"What? Zack doesn't…" Well, maybe. Cloud's mind flashed back to their hug when they last made up, the cuddling on his floor, Zack chasing around a drunken Kunsel after thinking Cloud had professed his love. Was it possible? For Zack to like _him_ , of all people?

"I think he does. I do too, for the record," Genesis chimed.

Sephiroth cradled his eyes with a hand, feeling a headache start to form. Cloud owlishly stared at Genesis, torn between darting out the door and asking if he were joking.

"And we know Sephiroth does," the mischievous commander continued.

Sephiroth did not react to the statement, still hiding his eyes beneath a slender hand.

"Do you think Geal' likes him Seph? We should ask. Maybe we could form a Cloud club-"

"I have to get going!" Cloud interrupted, hastily setting down his tea and half-saluting.

"Bye dearest!" echoed behind him as he left the warm dwelling in haste.

* * *

It was only when Cloud was in the relative safety of his top bunk that he began to process the day that he had and all the implications within it. Despite having brought up Zack's distant behavior twice, with both Genesis and Sephiroth, they'd managed to shift the topic into something quite different. His best bet would be to message Zack, hope for a response, and talk to Angeal.

He could see the skies through bent window blinds, the lights outside showcasing a dissipating fog. Perhaps tomorrow would be a good day to check on the garden. Cloud sighed and picked up his PHS, aiming to message Zack before bed, but a message from an unknown number caught his attention instead.

?: The centerfold woman at the fountain is named Minerva.

The blond pursed his lips, startled between the unexpected message and the odd feeling that sprouted from its contents. Minerva…Cloud opted not to respond to the text, pretty certain that the number was Sephiroth's, and opened a new message addressed to Zack. His fingers floated over the buttons, feeling their dips as he contemplated what to write. Light clicks resounded in the quiet room, and then were accompanied by smaller, more rapid clicks. He wrote and erased a couple of different greetings before sending, "Hey."

He waited 10 minutes for a response, which was slow for Zack, before falling asleep.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in the sky.

* * *

Author's Note: Oh goodness. It's been a while. Excuses are excuses, but if it means anything to you wonderful readers I can say I've been MIA because of school. I'm heading into the last few weeks of my first quarter at graduate school, so I haven't had the time to update in quite a few months. Good news is winter break will begin fairly soon, which means an update or two coming fast!

If you'd like to help me update faster there is only one thing I can recommend - reviewing the story. It could be a long-winded rant about the plot, a few grammar mistakes I need to fix, or even just a heart. Point is, when I'm up till two in the morning because of school and I need that extra push to work on Inner Voice, something to trigger my self-motivation, I think about all the lovely comments I've gotten about the last chapter. It helps! And more importantly, it makes me want to write BETTER for all of you.

So thank you! Thank you for your patience, your reviews, and your time. I hope all of you are enjoying your autumn days to the fullest, and fellow students HANG IN THERE!

-RMG


	13. Chapter 13

Happy February! Hope you lovely people are doing well. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, and make no financial gain from the use of the property.

* * *

Mist circled around Cloud's pale hand as he tested the extent of his power. Cautious fingers retreated into a fist, and then released with a practiced exhale. For all intents and purposes, Cloud was fully conscious and in control of himself. Blue eyes looked down to survey the land far below his feet - snowy hills and crisp blue sky, birds gliding into the safety of large, bushy trees. All the while, he floated weightless and hidden in the unknown space of the clouds.

He'd dreamt this before. A very, very long time ago.

"Young warrior."

And he'd heard that voice, too. A shifting of eyes granted him a vision of a blonde woman in an odd dress. Glinting gold, radiant light and static wings drew him in. This was no ordinary dream; she'd called him here, once again, to her domain in the sky. She was the Goddess he'd sought audience with for years.

"Yes, I am," She replied, voice the same authoritative, deep echo as he remembered.

Cloud pushed the barrage of questions to the back of his head, knowing full well that she'd heard them all and would only answer what she wanted.

"It's almost time, Cloud."

He pushed a spike of hair out of his eyes, "Yeah. Glybie told me that too."

She lifted her chin, "He has limited knowledge of what will come to pass. It is not wise to partake in those conversations. Maya and Carpo are of the same category. None truly know of the events to come except me and one other."

"Who?"

"You've already met her."

Dark tendrils surrounding him-black flurries blocking him from Maya- freezing cold clawing at his chest and dulling his mind-

"Yeah," he breathed, shaking himself out of the memory, " I've met her."

The goddess considered him briefly, "Pray tell, what is my name?"

"...Minerva."

"What is her name?"

"…I don't know."

The gleaming sun began to set on their world, casting shadows on their faces. He frowned, "Can't you tell me what her name is?"

"Names are important, Cloud," She chided, "They differentiate us from one another, and knowing a deity's name can draw you to their location. All of us conscious beings have titles of power, from god, to man, to cat."

Cloud blinked, "…to cat?"

Minerva smiled indulgently, "They are proud creatures. Bast will not seek you out. Succeed in her endeavors, and she may yet assist you in yours. The feline spirit hails from a land that values names far more than yours. When the darkened spirit's name is found, the rest of your journey shall follow."

The last orange rays dipped below the horizon, blurring Cloud's vision and alerting him to the end of the dream, "Wait! Why can't you just tell me what's going on?!"

The goddess rose her hand in farewell, "Infinite is the mystery. "

Cloud woke slowly with narrowed eyes, irritated and confused. Five minutes of staring at the awful grey ceiling of his quarters bought him no new insights, instead replaying memories of the near nonsensical dream on top of Genesis' confession and Sephiroth's questionable flirtations the previous day.

"Why." He deadpanned.

An obnoxious, garbled snore from his roommate was the only reply.

* * *

The unusual summer storm had finally passed, leaving Angeal to take stock of his plants and treat the baby tomatoes, budding marigolds, and tangled vines of sweet pea in the garden. The mud sloshed under his feet, to be expected after summer dryness followed by sudden rainfall. Of the bunch, the tomatoes seemed the least happy. Angeal huffed. He had picked the type that abhorred water on their leaves thinking it wouldn't be problematic in the summer.

The seasons weren't cut and dry anymore. Heat waves in the winter, storms in the summer, part of Angeal hoped that ShinRa was not to blame for these weather symptoms, but another part knew that the company was draining the world of its resources without regard for planetary welfare. His large finger cradled the wilting leaf, mind filled with issues he couldn't solve.

"Hey…need help?"

Angeal smiled to himself, fully aware that Cloud had been standing at the edge of the garden for a half-minute, "It's been quite a while," he spoke, turning to face the cadet, "Seems you've been busy practicing your stealth?"

Cloud scoffed, "Thanks for the compliment, but we both know you knew I was here."

"It was still very quiet," Angeal insisted, "How's training for the exams going? Still trying out this fall?"

The blond took a handful of dry dirt from the bag Angeal had hauled from their shed, slowly reinforcing the roots of his rosemary a few feet away, "Uh, yeah. That's the plan. Though, Zack had been helping me train up till now."

"He has not talked to you either?" Angeal guessed, brows furrowed.

"Nope. Looks like he's taking a vacation from all of us," Cloud shot him a rueful smile, "but I don't know why."

"I've tried getting in contact with him," the older man added," He won't respond. I've convinced Gen and Seph not to call him in for a meeting. He'll have to come to us when he's ready."

Cloud silently agreed and watched Angeal bolster the tomato sprouts into dry soil. The bright sun loomed overhead, and he could feel the heat through the top of his head. Would the plants be okay with the sudden change?

"I have an idea," Angeal suddenly spoke.

"An idea for what?" Cloud questioned, moving closer to the commander.

"To get Zack to talk to us," the burly first said decisively, "but you're an integral part of it."

Cloud blinked, "What is it?"

"Gen, Seph, you and I are his closest friends, I'd say."

Cloud blinked again, "Okay?"

"Have you ever left Zack out of something? Go out with another friend or to a new place to eat without him? He tends to get very…upset."

"How would getting him upset help," Cloud reasoned, "we want him to want to talk to us, preferably in a non-angry way."

"Of course," Angeal stood, brushing soil off his kneecaps, "He likes being included in things. What if we four form a group of our own, show him how much fun we're having together?"

Cloud sighed, "I don't know about that. He'll just be plain upset."

"Not if we invite him. He'll have to either grin and bear the fact that we're having fun without him or give in and talk to us again. Don't look so distraught, Cloud. I know Zack, and he doesn't put anything above his friends for very long."

It made sense. Cloud twisted his lips, torn between leaving himself out of this suddenly complex scenario and regaining Zack. The second need won out, and before he knew it Angeal was proposing their plan to be set into action that very day.

"Afternoon iced tea with Seph and Gen. It's what we all used to do on hot summer days. I can try to track him down and set something up."

"Well, I'm off to the library now to do some reading. I'll ask him if he's there."

Angeal chuckled, "Making rounds on all of us, huh? Well, tell him 4pm at his place. I'll leave it to you to tell Seph as well."

Cloud balked, "Wait- what if Gen's not in the library?"

"No problem," Angeal smiled, now texting on his phone, "I'll tell him to be there to meet you in 5. Makes it more fun than sending a group message, I think."

Cloud lightly glared at Angeal, knowing full well that this was a roundabout way to make him talk to everyone on his own volition. What he couldn't figure out was why Angeal felt compelled to make him do it in the first place. Giving in (because he knew a long time ago that his three superiors had their own game going) Cloud sighed, "Sephiroth hates tea. Should I bring something different?"

"Absolutely not," Angeal retorted, "it's the whole reason why Gen throws these things."

Genesis was not in the library, but his copy of _Loveless_ was. Atop it purposely laid a dark metal ring with glinting amber stone. It was the same ring that Sephiroth had delivered to Genesis when they'd played hide and seek.

"Damn it," Cloud swore, knowing the next hour or so would be spent tracking the sneaky red-haired commander down. Cloud idly played with the ring as he waltzed down the hallway, sliding it onto each finger and testing its fit, which inevitably lead to the object being flung a few paces away.

"Shitshitshit," Cloud quietly chanted, praying to every god he knew that Genesis wouldn't pop out and slap him for dropping his stuff. As his hand closed tightly, ring safe in his palm, Cloud righted himself and came face to face with something he'd completely forgotten about.

The oak door. He nervously licked his lips and walked forward, tracing the etchings of the opaque stain glass window. It was subtle, but among the dark and light blues he saw greens and pale yellows, details that went unnoticed to him before. An index finger trailed the path of the greens and yellows, eventually outlining some sort of symbol: a long horizontal body with arms protruding from the left and right. Bright eyes came closer, finding a half circle dropping from both the left and right arms.

"Scales?" He wondered aloud, racking his brain for any connection between the symbol and ShinRa. He jolted, recalling his dream the night prior with Minerva, and the her statue replica surrounded by Carpo and her sisters in that fountain.

"Minerva's scale," Cloud affirmed. Amongst the mess with Zack and Maya and school, he'd completely forgotten the sign Glybie had given so long ago. Peering behind him quickly, the cadet grasped the brass doorknob and turned. It didn't budge. He examined the outline of the door, hand tracing the smooth wall next to it. A dent made him pause. Nervously looking back to secure his safety, Cloud pushed into the dented metal, which bounced back to reveal a keypad and card swipe.

"There you go," Cloud whispered, "now who has clearance?"

"There's a train of thought a cadet shouldn't be having."

Cloud hissed through his teeth upon seeing not Sephiroth, not Zack, but Reno. The blond held a hand to his heart in exasperation, "Did you have to sneak up on me?"

Reno took a thoughtful sip of his coffee cup (probably filled with things other than coffee) before stepping closer, "I wasn't even tryin, yo. What the hell are you doin'?"

"Uh," Cloud stuttered, "It's related to that…thing we talked about."

The turk took another sip, "What thing?"

"You know," Cloud rubbed the back of this neck, "what we talked about at your house?"

The redhead laughed incredulously, "What? When've you been to my house, Blondie?"

Blondie furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean? We had drinks and you met my…friend-"

"Look, kid," Reno interrupted, strutting closer, "I don't know much you've been drinking, but I ain't never took you to my house," green eyes narrowed flirtatiously, "but if you're looking for an invitation.."

"What?!" Cloud exclaimed, mortified and confused, "I wasn't- that didn't-"

"Yeah, yeah," Reno chuckled, "Just let me know when Fairpants doesn't work out. I'll give you a grand tour of-"

"Oh Gaia," Cloud muttered, speed walking passed Reno, out of the hallway, and straight outside. The summer heat hit him like a brick. He groaned, not made for hot weather in any way, and considered what Reno's deal was. He hadn't dreamed that night up, and he'd only had one beer, too. Cloud sighed, this was how it was going to be. Reno would keep his secret by pretending he'd never heard it.

His lips downturned, Cloud descended from the steps toward town, recalling something Zack had said to him a long time ago: Turks just don't make good friends. "Speaking of friends," Cloud whispered, opening his hand to view Genesis' ring in the afternoon light, "Where the hell could you be?"

Cloud took Sephiroth's hide-and-seek route backwards. Waves of heat, thankfully weakening, radiated off the asphalt and rooftops. Storefront owners were posed in front of fans, all windows and doors open, and shaking their sweaty shirts for momentary relief. In agreement, Cloud breathed out and lightly jogged in the shade of the awnings. The theater was closed, but a three person play was drawing a crowd right outside the venue. He vaguely recognized the main actress before scanning the audience- nope, no Genesis- and moving on.

The café was bursting at the seams- servers (none of them Rikku, he supposed she worked at that bar now) with rolled up sleeves refilled iced teas and rushed to deliver gelato to patio tables. Cloud bit his lip and headed inside, inwardly hoping Genesis would both be there and let him sit before heading out again. His prayers were answered as he located a familiar profile, and he wandered over to the taken window seat lazily. Sunlight was hitting the commander, making his hair appear redder, more gold, too, and struck his face in a very flattering way. Cloud conceded to the small part of him that kind-of-sort-of-maybe-a-little-bit liked Genesis.

"Ah, dearest!" Genesis lilted, snapping his book shut and gesturing to the empty seat across for him, "Wherever have you been?"

"You know," Cloud hedged, "here and there. Had a lot of things to do before coming to see you." He didn't have to look up to know the commander's eyes had squinted a little.

"Did you now," Genesis played along, making some odd gesture to a passing waiter, "pray tell, what is more important than me?"

Cloud looked up to the ceiling in fake thought, "Hmm. Well, I had to hang out with some friends, took a nap…"

"A nap. You took a nap instead of finding me?"

"Oh yes. You're really lucky I'm here at all," Cloud smiled gleefully at the irritated expression on Genesis' face.

"Alright," Genesis leaned back in his wooden chair, "I suppose you won't want any of this then."

Before Cloud could question, a large bowl with three scoops of ice cream, cookies, and fruit was placed between them. The blond could vaguely hear "enjoy" in the background as his eyes drank in the sugary confection. It looked so good.

"Ah!" Genesis slapped away his hand, "This is for me, Cadet."

The blond gave him his very best rendition of Zack's puppy eyes, and when Genesis' blank stare told him it was ineffective, Cloud outright huffed and crossed his arms, "I know you know I know it's for me. Can you please just share?"

"Share? What are you giving me for my trouble?"

Cloud shrugged and set the ring on the table, "Your stuff?"

The red-haired commander rolled his eyes and accepted the bargain, "Good to see that you found it. Once it took Seph a whole week to realize I left this on his nightstand-"

"Why were you in his bedro-"

"I do what I want! Point being, it's nice to have someone else in the loop, and someone to eat desserts with. Seph only eats them if I bring it to his office all secret-like, and Angeal hates the stuff."

Cloud grasped his petite dessert spoon and scooped a small portion of the green-looking ice cream, pleasantly surprised when he tasted nuts, "What about Zack?"

Genesis' spoon stopped midway to his mouth, "What about him?"

"You don't take him here?" Cloud questioned, "He'd love this place."

"The Puppy vacuums all the food he eats. He wouldn't appreciate the subtly of flavors."

The blond's mouth opened and closed a couple of times, at a loss for words. It took a few seconds of thought and a butter cookie to articulately respond, "What the hell are you talking about Gen?"

The commander gave a long-suffering sigh, "Have you seen him eat? It swallows everything whole."

"To make people laugh," Cloud defended, "he only does that as a spectacle. Given Angeal likes lecturing him, and Zack takes being lectured as attention, I always assumed he was playing into that whole 'unruly protégé that mentor can't help but love ' dynamic. He doesn't eat like that with me."

Genesis said nothing, so Cloud continued, "Do you get on his case about it too? What does that glare mean- yes? Okay, so he has two reasons to do it, you and Angeal."

"Why in the world would he purposely make himself the subject of ridicule?"

"I don't know" Cloud half sassed, enjoying a cold, crisp strawberry, "maybe he wants a reason to talk to you and you've only showed him your grumpy side."

The next strawberry was snagged off his spoon.

"I'm not grumpy!" the commander responded as he ate the stolen fruit, "Besides, he could have just talked to me like a normal person," But even as Genesis finished that statement, he recalled the dinner they'd had not too long ago. Zack had been surprisingly…good company. He lifted his eyes to Cloud, who had moved on to another cookie. Was Zack Fair more than he appeared to be, as Cloud suggested?

"You should take him here. Tell you what, you invite both of us. I'll be your common interest or whatever, because you both apparently want to date me."

Genesis smirked, "So it's a competition."

"No. That was a joke, Gen."

"Competition."

"Buy me more of this and I'll allow it."

Green eyes held blue speculatively, "you're going to use me for my money."

"Naturally," Cloud chuckled under his breath, ducking his head from the overtly fond gaze Genesis was giving him, and hiding what felt like warmth in his cheeks.

"I do not know how Cloud using you for sweets should make you happy, Genesis."

Cloud jumped in his seat, stuttering out, "Sep-Sephir-"

"You don't understand the complexity of romance," Genesis rolled his eyes, having seen the man walk in the café a full minute before, "Why are you ruining our date?"

"It wasn't a -"

"I do regret doing so, but then I also don't. It is a curious combination," The general interrupted Cloud smoothly, "in any case, Angeal told me to find Cloud by this time if he had not found me already."

In unison, the general and commander turned to the cadet, who had inopportunely decided to take a hefty bite of ice cream. Cloud awkwardly stared at them, attempting to subtly swallow everything in his mouth immediately.

By the tug upward at Sephiroth's lips, he assumed it looked as graceful as it felt.

"We need to have tea," Cloud spoke behind his hand.

The slight smile the general had maintained vanished, appearing instead on Genesis with glee, "Tea! Yes, let us do so now. The air is cooling swiftly."

Sephiroth grumbled as Genesis and Cloud walked out of the café and into the sunset sky. He hated tea.

* * *

Zack narrowed his eyes at the text message he'd received, knowing full well this was an elaborate ploy to get him to open the doors of communication.

Angeal: _The three of us and Cloud are having tea in an hour. Would you like to join us?_

It was a trap, but if he didn't go, Sephiroth would finally get the opportunity to grill Cloud about his secrets. Or worse, the general could outright accuse Cloud. Maybe his plan hadn't been effective at all, because he'd inadvertently brought them together instead of keeping them apart. Also, an irrational part of him was upset that they'd all hang out without him.

"Fuck," Zack cursed quietly at Genesis' door. He raised a fist to knock only to slide it into his hair in mock casualness as the door opened, "Geal'."

Angeal gazed up and down his body with furrowed eyebrows, a habit he'd picked up when Zack would come over with bruises and cuts from drills. Zack smiled a little, torn between his old mentor's care and his own awkwardness, "Hey."

The commander met his eyes with something hard and unreadable. Angeal stepped to the side, "Hello Zack."

The first class pursed his lips and pushed down the lump in his chest from hearing Angeal call him _Zack_ \- not the disciplinary Zackary, not Puppy, just normal boring _Zack_. The wafting smell of jasmine tea hit his nose as he entered the living room. Genesis had his trademark smug grin aimed at Sephiroth, and Sephiroth had his infamous glare trained on a cup in front of him.

"C'mon, Seph. It's not that bad," Cloud said between chuckles. Zack gazed at his shy, introverted friend, once unable to look at Sephiroth and now effortlessly using nicknames. Also, wasn't the general supposed to be questioning him instead of making him laugh? Sephiroth's reply went unheard as Zack took in his best friend's relaxed, slouched posture, the crinkles next to his eyes as he traded secret smiles with Genesis. An unwelcome jealously bloomed alongside the lump in his chest.

"Zack?" Angeal lowly whispered behind him, "What's wrong?"

Zack turned swiftly, realizing that he'd been blankly staring at the table of friends instead of greeting them, "Nothing!"

"The puppy has arrived," Genesis grandly announced before turning again to the general, "it's been that long since I served it to you. You're drinking the damn tea and if you don't I'll burn down the apartment."

"It is your apartment," Sephiroth deadpanned.

"Still burning it."

Angeal guided him to a seat- something he hadn't done in years- and took his own between Sephiroth and Genesis. A fist lightly bumped his arm.

"Hey Man, how've you been?" Cloud chirped, looking for the entire world like some too-pretty, too-friendly model and not the sulky cadet or laidback silent guy Zack had known for so long. He took a breath out before responding, "Oh, you know. Just hanging out."

"Oh yeah?" Cloud chased, "Hanging out with who?"

"No one," Zack quickly replied, "Just with myself. Quality time, you know."

"Quality time," Cloud confirmed, "Well if you ever want some 'quality time' with me-"

Genesis coughed.

"I'm available," Cloud finished, sending him a weird smile that- oh Gaia was his cadet intentionally hitting on him?

Zack let out an odd high-pitched noise that he quickly coughed into a deeper-than-normal voice, "Well, yes. Of course."

"When are you available?" Cloud asked, sounding a tad husky. Zack momentarily closed his eyes in disbelief, and when he opened them Cloud's own blue were a scant few inches from his own. From here, he could see a thin, golden ring around the irises, like scattered gil underneath rippling- were they coming closer?

"Are you really going to let me do this?" Cloud asked in his extremely normal, teasing voice.

Zack's thoughts chased each other in circles, manifesting in absolutely no reply. He saw the moment that Cloud's expression shifted from teasing to curious, and fought to say something-anything-

"I was right!" Genesis boasted, triggering Zack to put distance between him and Cloud- why hadn't he done that before?

"He didn't actually do it," He heard Cloud respond, refusing to look in his direction, "I still win!"

"Well he would have done it if you didn't ruin the moment," Genesis fought, "Which I think you sabotaged on purpose."

Zack had never felt so uncomfortable in his life. He heard Sephiroth contribute something that made Genesis get louder, but no one stopped to explain anything to him. When was the last time he felt so left out? He couldn't remember. Had he cut them out for so long that he no longer belonged here? A chaotic storm of emotions, none positive, continued to whirl around in his head. Angeal seemed to take pity on him and grasped his hand.

"Gen was being Gen and dared Cloud to try to kiss you. He bet 100 gil that you would allow him to do it, and Cloud was adamant on you refusing," He chuckled, "Don't worry, I'm sure they didn't mean any harm."

Zack none too gently pried his hand from Angeals', ignoring whatever expression his old mentor had given him. "Hello to you too, Genesis, and Sephiroth."

All eyes turned to him, and he was sure they'd heard the repressed anger in his tone, but he couldn't quite hold back how he was feeling, "Also, it's kinda not cool to pull that that stuff with friends."

Sephiroth replied after a beat, "I recall you placing the exact same bet with Genesis and myself a few years back."

"Yeah, Zack," Cloud continued, "We didn't mean to upset you. You're such a big fan of pranks, thought it would be interesting to see you on the other end."

"Interesting isn't quite worth it, Spike."

Angeal cut in, "Zack, you've not been here for five minutes and already-"

"Already what?" Zack interrupted Angeal, "Am I already ruining your date?"

"There's no need-" Angeal soothed, or attempted to.

"I think there's plenty need to-"

"Fair," Angeal bellowed, causing Cloud to flinch, "Hallway, now."

"I'm sorry First Class Hewley but," Zack looked down at his PHS, "it's far past working hours and I'm no longer your protégé. I'm under no obligation to do as you say."

The silence that followed was charged. Zack and Angeal remained standing, the former unsure when he'd gotten up, and Genesis attempted, in vain, to diffuse the tension.

"You still haven't had your tea, Seph."

Taking the out, Zack marched over to the door and waltzed down the hall, intent on not stopping until he was alone in his room again. This had clearly been a mistake. He faintly heard Cloud saying, "I told you so," before his ears picked up the louder sound of footsteps. Heavy footsteps. Angeal's steps.

Hairs on his neck prickling, Zack tried in vain to walk faster without running. He was angry, not hysterical, and physically running would make Angeal go into hyper chase mode. The younger first class forwent the elevators and dove into the stairwell, hoping to hear the heavy metal door close and not open again. Just in case, he took two steps at a time, breaths sounding infinity louder in the quiet of the stairwell. He'd gotten to floor six when the door burst open, and panicking, Zack continued down a little faster.

"Zack. Don't make me chase you. This is ridiculous."

It was. It definitely was, but he couldn't help but want to run away from Angeal's questioning. He slid a hand through his unruly hair and turned to face his old mentor, "Fine. What do you want?"

"Me?" Angeal gestured, climbing down the last steps to the landing, "I want answers. Why have you been ignoring us?"

Zack licked his lips, "I had stuff to do."

"Zack Fair is ignoring his friends because he has stuff to do?" Angeal questioned in disbelief.

"Yes. I did," He responded, crossing his arms.

"What stuff?"

"Why do I have to tell you? You're not my mentor anymore."

Angeal stared at Zack incredulously, "Yes. I'm not, but do you think that means I don't care about you?"

"I think that's exactly what it means," Zack said before he could stop himself. They stood silent for a few seconds, Angeal in disbelief and Zack in stubbornness.

"Why? How have I ever given you that impression?" Angeal ventured, stance guarded.

"When I made first class you stopped everything," Zack began, looking everywhere except Angeal, "I don't know if you realize this, but I barely saw you once a week after that. I would call and you'd be busy or tired. That never happened before my promotion."

It was a delicate situation. Angeal covered his mouth with his hand and exhaled, "I didn't do that to make you feel that way. You needed time to come into your own, meet other first classes, celebrate with friends-"

"For months?"

Angeal glared, "Please don't interrupt Zack. I just-I didn't want you to have to stay in our dynamic just because of rank. Yes, you were my student, but you shouldn't have to spend time with me so often because of that history."

"Bullshit," Zack spat, "And you know it. You don't think I've been hearing the same shit you have around the rumor mill? That 'Hewely can finally 'tap that' without getting into-'"

"Zack!"

"What?!" He yelled back, "I know that's why! You stopped calling me 'puppy' to my face and stopped with the hugs and stopped with the lunches and stopped everything because some stupid people said untrue-"

"Calm down," Angeal glowered, coming closer.

"I will not!," Zack responded, taking steps back as Angeal came closer, "You always told me that those rumors didn't matter but the second I make first you're suddenly the hardest person in the world to hang out with. If Genesis didn't jokingly invite me to that dinner a while back-"

"That wasn't-"

"Oh it was," Zack retorted, "I could tell you didn't want me there, and the party I threw for Kunsel was fair game because you knew I'd be busy-"

The younger soldier grunted as his back unexpectedly met the wall, and he growled when Angeal's arms trapped him against it, "Are you serious right now?"

"Yes," Angeal whispered in barely constrained anger, "What is this really about?"

Zack sarcastically laughed, "Are you kidding me?! I've been telling you! You up and left me when I made first-"

"I was around."

"And you don't believe me when I say that Cloud is innocent-"

Angeal visibly recoiled from subject whiplash, "Cloud-"

"All four of you are driving me fucking insane and I'm tired of running around all of you! Yes-Cloud has some weird secret but he isn't a bad person! And yes, I don't know what it is either but maybe _include me_ in your plans. Why don't you trust me?!"

The sharp sting of regret trailed down Zack's head to his heart. Angeal's eyes stayed trained on him, gleaming with repressed rage and confusion. The younger solider licked his lips, "I just -I'm not doing so great here, Geal'. When we stopped hanging out I realized that the program, the company, my dream, it wasn't what I thought it was. I think…" He let out a ragged sigh, "I think the reason why I liked it here so much was because of you. I don't know what -"

His sentence stopped short when lips pressed against his own. Angeal's arms, previously caging, felt protective and warm. He could smell fresh dirt and a subtle hint of Angeal's aftershave. In a delayed reaction, Zack released his body and sunk into the moment, allowing himself to finally recognize feelings he'd had for so long. He let out a tiny sigh, and felt Angeal's lips curve in response.

* * *

The night air was cool, calming Zack's heated skin and still-tingling lips. Part of him was relived, happy to finally get the awkward tension with Angeal out of the way. The other part was extremely concerned about Angeal and Genesis, who'd had an on and off again relationship since…well, forever. Had he just destroyed the small bout of camaraderie between Genesis and himself?

Oh Gaia. What about _Seph_ and Geal?

Zack groaned aloud, ignoring the weird looks from two women walking next to him. Those three had always had weird ties, leaving their crazy fan clubs to speculate on potential relationships and, Gaia, the possibly of a _threesome_. Even if that were to happen, he'd bet that Angeal would have to be thoroughly persuaded, Seph probably would need to have things explained, and Genesis…

"He'd be on board," Zack muttered, chuckling as he realized Cloud's habit of talking to himself had become contagious. In a flash, he envisioned Cloud wrapped up with the other three, too. Golden hair against red, silver, black, and limbs moving, and then maybe his own tanned hand on Cloud's pale skin-

"Oof, sorry man, didn't watch where I was-" Zack stopped short, eyes focusing on the spiky hair he was just envisioning. The stranger turned around, revealing blue eyes and sharp features. Cloud smiled and waved it off before walking on.

The first class opened his mouth in confusion, "Wait a sec'. Cloud! Where you goin'? I thought you were still up at Gen's place?" Cloud made eye contact and froze up, completely silent.

"Hey," Zack soothed, coming closer, "What's wrong? I'm sorry for running out before, I didn't mean to be that way. "

The cadet shot him a nervous smile before continuing to walk away, but stopped short again when Zack grabbed onto his arm, "What's up with you, Spike? I'm really sorry, you know. I have something to talk to you about-"

Cloud pried himself out of the grip and darted down the street, leaving Zack open mouthed and slightly offended, "Are you seriously trying to outrun a first class, Spike?!"

And off they went. He should've been able to catch Cloud in a moment's time, but the cadet seemed to know which alleys were through-streets and what corners to round. Part of him noticed that he was doing the same thing that he'd done with Angeal not but a half hour ago, except he was now in pursuit. In a fit of annoyance, Zack vaulted himself over a chain link fence and cut off his friend's route.

"Cloud. Stop."

Cloud did stop, turning to look at Zack with anxiety. The older man sighed, coming closer while scratching the back of his neck, "What's gotten into you? Why are you running away from me?"

Cloud's eyes darted around anxiously, mouth opening to respond and then closing again.

"You can tell me, buddy," Zack softly pried, "I'm not gonna get you in trouble or anything. I just want to make sure you're safe and sound."

Cloud swallowed, taking a few cautious steps to his best friend in silence. When they were inches away, the cadet looked up at Zack through his lashes, diminutive and passive.

"Uh…what?" Zack stuttered, caught off guard by the change in proximity. In a flash of gold and blue Cloud was pressed against him, chapped lips connected to his own. A split second later the sensation disappeared, leaving Zack to open to his eyes (when did he close them?) to a now empty street. He could hear footfalls in the distance, but opted not to continue chasing his best friend. He…Cloud had _kissed_ him. _Angeal_ had kissed him. In the same damn night.

"What the fuck."

* * *

"Do you think they're fighting?"

Genesis glazed at him while refilling Sephiroth's barely-drunk glass of tea, "Probably. The puppy has been rather difficult to deal with as of late. Lots of outbursts and yelling." The commander took a small sip of his own glass, ignoring the glare Sephiroth was giving him, and let out the most dramatic sigh Cloud had ever heard.

"Have they ever actually fought like this?" The blond wondered aloud, lazily admiring the painting of countryside across the room.

"Hm," Sephiroth answered, "I believe they have. The beginning of their mentorship was quite smooth, but when Zackary began feeling more confident in his abilities, they'd get into disagreements regarding his readiness and aptitude for certain missions."

"Oh yes I remember that," Genesis interceded, "poor Geal' had his hands full trying to keep him out of trouble. That can't be why he's upset now, is it?"

"I don't think so," Cloud guessed, "Actually, I haven't really heard about Zack spending time with Angeal since the promotion."

Genesis leaned back in chair, arms crossed and eyes unfocused in thought, "You might be right about that. Seph, besides the dinner and that birthday party, when has Angeal commented about seeing the puppy?"

"He has not, at least not with me in the vicinity."

"Well," Cloud stood and put on his jacket, "Maybe this is an opportunity for them to work stuff out."

"Let's hope," Genesis responded, walking the blond to the door with an arm around his shoulders.

Sephiroth watched them go, admiring how Cloud was a head shorter than Genesis, yet they looked…pleasant side by side, "Goodnight, Cloud."

Cloud broke away from Genesis' hug (apparently they hugged now?) and yelled into the apartment, "Bye Seph!" It was only when he'd pushed a button in the empty elevator that he realized Sephiroth and Genesis definitely had superhuman hearing, and he'd probably hurt Genesis' ears. As much as he wanted to sleep away that small bit of embarrassment, it was high time he went to the library to do some research alone.

The months had gone by quickly. The fall had begun with Carpo, as did his friendships with Angeal and Genesis. Winter had come even faster, reuniting him with Zack, acquainting him with Sephiroth, and obtaining vital information about whatever the hell that rouge spirit was from Glybie. Spring was miraculously quiet, yet full of high-level, exhausting courses and chasing around Maya. Now summer, summer was daunting. Fall would be upon them once more in a manner of weeks, and he was nowhere near ready for the exams, nonetheless locating the dark spirits name. How in the world was he going to pull off studying, juggling his friends, freeing Maya, opening the stupid stain glass door somehow, while also following Minvera's new lead?

Cloud absentmindedly listed the impossible tasks with his fingers, stress rising as he realized how much he had to do in a short amount of time. Which came first, though?

As soon as he entered the library, a body came rushing at him. It was Maya's luck that he'd been off-guard by seeing his own face in front of him, because otherwise she'd of gotten punched real fast. Cloud groaned, "Why is everyone sneaking up on me today?!"

"Cloud," She rushed, "I did something and I need you to not freak out when I tell you what."

"Oh Gaia, can't it wait till' morning? I have stuff to do tonight," Cloud whined, taking a seat on the antique sofa. Maya sat on the edge next to him, all wide eyes and frazzled hair.

"Nope, it can't. You know how I was teasing you about liking that one guy a long time ago?"

"I don't like anyone," Cloud clarified, picking up a book to flip through from the coffee table, "And who? Zack?"

"Zack! Yes! Him! Well, he might of just seen me in town."

Cloud froze mid-page flip, "What? Maya, are you serious? I just saw him less than half an hour ago! If he asks anyone else when I left Genesis' then-"

"I know, I know, that's why I panicked and I ran away," Maya explained, turning to face him more fully, "But I couldn't outrun him and I couldn't just vanish. He had an eye on me the whole time.

Cloud stared at her in panic, "Okay. You didn't tell him who you were, right?! Gaia, you didn't _talk_ to him, right?!"

Maya waved her hands, "No! No! I know I sound nothing like you!"

"Okay," Cloud breathed, "Then it should be fine. I'll just tell him I wasn't feeling well after the get together, or that I was just really angry at him-"

"That might be a problem cause I kissed him," Maya spat out, eyes clenched shut. There was a prolonged silence, and then the sound of Cloud's book hitting the floor.

She was in trouble.

* * *

Author's Note: As usual, please feel free to review! Thank you for your prolonged support and kindness.

RMB


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: This chapter has been brought to you by my blood and sweat and tears. Unfortunately, there are still surface errors that've escaped my notice. Sorry for those. Hope you enjoy reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Final Fantasy series, Square Enix does. I do not make money from the use of their property or the mention of Soul Calibur in this story.

(But can you imagine if we got paid to write fanfiction?! That'd be pretty rad. Square Enix hit me up plz.)

* * *

Midgar was so fucking loud.

Zack groaned as a wailing siren tore through the closed window. His head was pounding into his teeth like a gigantic drum solo. "Whaahapennn?" He murmured incoherently. A hard throw pillow collided into the back of his head, prompting Zack to pry dry eyes open and make out Kunsel's blurry figure.

"Please tell me you're done now. Literally not of drop of booze exists in either of our cabinets. I'm not going out to buy more _again_."

Booze? Zack struggled to recall the events of the night before, drawing up a memory of Kunsel doing a body shot off of some brunette and dancing on a table. The headache began to abate, mako working like magic on his fatigue and aching muscles. He heard Kunsel sigh, "Dude. You know how much work it is to keep you drunk now? It's bad enough as a second class but shit, you chugged like 5 bottles of tequila and were only drunk for half an hour, and that was after a whole night of you adding to your bar tab like it was a fucking grocery list."

Zack opened and closed his mouth in disgust. It sure tasted like he'd been drinking forever, "I must've had more than that. How the hell did I wake up with a mini-hangover?"

Kunsel looked like he was going to hit him again, "You went to sleep three hours ago, asshole. Some of us didn't even get those hours to sleep because of the behemoth-level snoring of their so-called _friends_." He crossed his arms and glared at a sheepish Zack.

"Sorry man. I guess I got a little carried away, huh?"

"A little? When you invited me out for drinks last night I didn't think you meant 'let's drink all the alcohol in Midgar until 5am'," Kunsel cracked a smile, "Though, it was pretty awesome. I got jelloshot-chick's number."

Zack chuckled as his friend joined him on the couch, "Yeah, I'm not remembering a whole lot about last night but I remember that." A beat of comfortable silence passed.

"What're you gonna do about Commander Hewley and Cloud?"

Zack blinked, opening his mouth to convey his confusion before he remembered kissing- no, being kissed- by both men the night before, "Uhhh…"

Kunsel made an affirmative sound, "Sounds like a good plan," then he pointed to his door, "Now get out. If I don't sleep I'll die."

He was pushed into the hallway before getting the chance to look into a mirror. Zack grimaced at his own semi-visible reflection in elevator light, lamenting the fact that he had work in 10 minutes. No time to book it over to his apartment and get cleaned up, but just enough to slap some water on his face, grab some coffee in the lobby and blame his appearance on training too much the day before(Angeal wouldn't buy it, but he also wouldn't lecture him during a briefing).

"Shit." Zack spat out, leaning on the silver walls behind him in sudden anxiety. He hadn't thought about having to report to Angeal at all. He distractedly wandered into the lobby as personnel shuffled into the elevator, bickering over malware and other words that Zack definitely didn't know the meaning of.

He was closing in on the small coffee booth that he liked to frequent (he'd been chatting up the barista for a few days) when a mess of gold hair caught his line of vision, "Cloud!"

He'd said it (more like freaking yelled it) before he'd thought about it, and the look Cloud turned to give him was unreadable.

"Hey Spike! How are ya? Could I just talk to you for a sec? I was wondering about last night-"

"What do you mean?" Cloud frowned as Zack came closer, taking stock of the first's haggard appearance, "What the hell happened to you?"

"No-this is-" Zack began, "Kuns and I went out drinking last night and it may have gotten a little out of hand," he shook his head to stay focused, "Before that though, you and I ran into each other and I wanted to talk-"

"No we didn't," Cloud interjected, tone slightly concerned.

Zack grimaced knowingly, "Yes we did, Spike. Now I know this can be a little awkward but-"

"No, Zack. I'm not trying to dodge the topic. The last time I saw you you'd stormed out of Gen's apartment. How much did you drink?"

Zack's thoughts chased each other in circles as doubt took the form of a rock in his stomach. Had he drank too much last night? Did he dream of those interactions? There was no way. It had felt so _real_.

But he had also been _so drunk_.

"Are you sure?" Zack asked, energy bereft and head down.

Cloud paused, "You can ask Gen and Seph when I left. I couldn't have run into you, not with the timing we had. Did you…did you hallucinate it or something?"

"Yeah," Zack smiled, "Probably. Funny stuff, huh? Uh, do you happen to remember if Angeal came after me last night?"

Cloud frowned, "Yeah, he did. Why?"

"Did he say anything when he got back to you guys?"

Cloud tapped his index finger on his chin and tilted his head, "Not really. Just that he decided you needed more space. Did you "run" into him to?"

Zack tore a hand through his hair, feeling 10x more shitty than when he'd gotten up, "Don't worry about it. I gotta get my next mission before 'Geal tries to hunt me down again. See you later, Cloud."

First name warning flag, Cloud thought while he nodded, uncomfortably mindful that neither of their smiles were genuine. Watching his friend trudge back to the elevators, Cloud wondered if Zack knowing him did more harm than good.

"Zack!" He called out, jogging slightly to catch up. Zack half-turned to him, looking way too downtrodden and tired. Cloud took a moment to get his words in order, which (bless his soul) Zack was both used to and okay with. Cloud wet his lips nervously, "Do you maybe wanna do something tonight? Just the two of us?"

"Really?" Zack asked, eyes wider and brighter than Cloud had seen them in a long time.

"Really," Cloud laughed, "I miss you."

There was a beat of silence wherein Zack's mouth opened and closed (a rare moment of speechlessness) until he gave a wide Cloud a grin, "Alright! I miss you too buddy."

In an effort to ensure Zack's mood would stay high, Cloud sighed and did something he'd normally never do. He was vividly aware of the people around them as he leapt onto Zack and did his best rendition of a Fair-Bear hug (a fantastic term he first heard at Kunsel's birthday party). Then, in his own characteristic move, Cloud booked it the hell out of there.

It had lasted two seconds at best, and though Zack's physical reflexes were great his emotional reflexes were not. He stood blinking before returning to his trademark smile, only a little affected by the blatant warmth and affection in his eyes.

Then it turned to horror.

"I'M LATE I'M LATE I'M LATE," He chanted as he flew up the stairwell, hoping running up a ton of floors would be faster than the elevators. He burst into the conference room, completely ignoring the sputtering secretary behind him, and immediately saluted.

Thankfully, the briefing only called for Angeal and two other staff members. Angeal sighed, "Sit down Zack."

Zack sat down.

One of the other men – some guy Zack had never seen before in his life – cleared his throat and continued the briefing, occasionally clicking a small pad in his hand to switch pictures on the screen. It was a cookie-cutter safety patrol in a forest far south. A couple of times he tried to catch Angeal's eye, hoping this ex-mentor might show some emotion.

Before he knew it they were all shaking hands, and he was trying like hell to figure out what Angeal was thinking. Then, they were suddenly alone.

"Is it too much for you?" Angeal's gruff voice reverberated in the small room.

Zack stared at him for a second, not quite sure what his ex-mentor was asking him. Last night maybe? Had he made up Cloud but actually kissed Angeal? Zack was about to reassure him that, no, it wasn't too much but, yes, he needed to talk this out before they decided anything but Angeal spoke first.

"I think you can do it. You're good with the cadets, and with one Second to help you along, it should be a great training exercise. If you wanted, you could teach after proving yourself with routine missions like this one."

Zack's thoughts halted in their tracks, "Oh…Yeah. Sounds good."

Angeal frowned, "Zack, are you alright? You've seemed distracted since you walked in late. Did you not sleep well?"

An unchecked chuckle escaped him, "Yeah. Must've had too much sugar or something. I gotta go. See you, 'Geal."

Maybe it was something in his tone, or in his body language, that pissed the older man off. For as long as he'd known Angeal, he'd never opted out of saying goodbye.

* * *

"Good cover," someone whispered into his ear. Flinching back, Cloud took in the visage of a guy he didn't know. But that voice, "Maya? I told you not to-"

She aggressively shushed him, index finger in front of her mouth and hand on a hip. The gesture on the poor soul she'd chosen to emulate, both large and masculine, looked comical.

"Are you ok?" She asked, eyes gleaming in sympathy, "I know you don't like lying to him." She followed Cloud up the stairs, unbothered by his lack of attention and response, "I mean, maybe you should be focusing on the esuna thing. The faster we change me back the faster you get rid of me."

Cloud sighed, grasping the esuna Maya had stolen for him weeks ago in my pocket, "Still don't know how. It's not like they teach cadets how to use materia, and there aren't any workshops or whatever-"

"You can't find someone else to do it?"

To his credit, Cloud did not show his flash of irritation, "You never told me it could be someone else."

Maya's eyes widened, "Oh. Well. Keep in mind that I'll probably go back to my original form immediately. That'll be tricky to work around. Does that info make it easier, though?"

"Not really," Cloud grunted. There were only a few people he knew that could cast, and all of them were pretty damn suspicious of him at the moment. What's more, they'd need a distraction right after casting to ensure anonymity. How the hell could they pull that off?

"For Gaia's sake," A new voice chimed in, laden with exasperation and disappointment, "You? _You_ get picked to save us all. Fantastic."

Maya and Cloud both sprang apart, wildly looking in every direction for the speaker.

"Down here geniuses."

At Cloud's feet was a sleek, black cat with piercing yellow eyes.

"Uh…Kitty?" Maya asked uncertainly, "Did you just talk?"

"Children. Both of you. Perfect," the cat groaned, muttering more unpleasantries under its breath.

"Do you want something?" Cloud half-demanded, "Otherwise you can be on your way."

The cat's back raised and it hissed, "Is that anyway to treat a god, mountain boy? Or did all those years of snow permanently shut down your brain?"

"Usually Gods aren't this rude when they want things from me," Cloud retorted.

"Okay, okay," Maya interceded with arms raised between them, "Maybe it would be better to actually introduce ourselves, and ask her what she wants?"

"I already know who you two are," the cat said while licking a paw, "and more importantly, I can do something to help you with your…situation."

"Can I get a name, maybe?" Cloud dryly asked.

"Bast, idiot. Did you already forget what Minerva told you? I swear this world is going to end if we're putting our hopes on you."

"You barely know me!" Cloud yelled, temper rising swiftly.

"I know enough!" Bast bantered back.

"Guys!" Maya whisper-yelled, "You might wanna stop. We're getting some looks."

Cloud glanced up to catch a few cadets awkwardly glancing away and took a deep breath, "Yeah, sorry. Let's go talk about this somewhere else. I just need to know one thing before we move forward."

"What?" Bast sassed, "Do you want to make cookies and hug your friends and read books all day? Too bad. I'm not Glybie or Carpo. I have actual important things to do that may impact the future of this planet."

Cloud gritted his teeth, "And what would that be?"

Bast's eyes glinted mischievously, "A rescue mission."

"For who?" Cloud asked, crossing his arms.

"Not telling," She chuckled, "but I need you and you need me. Is this a deal or do you want no-face over here to spend the rest of eternity as ugly men?"

"Fine," Cloud relented, seeing Maya's offended expression from his peripheral vision, "it's a deal."

* * *

Genesis sneezed.

"Go home," Angeal implored from across the desk. He sighed as the stubborn man tilted up his chin in silent refusal.

"You're sick," Angeal tried again, setting down his pen with a small tap, "and you need to go to bed."

"Soldiers don't get sick," Genesis defended, hitting the back of his head against the high-backed chair.

"You know what Hollander recommends. Do you remember what happened last time you ignored the symptoms? Do you want to be on bed rest for a month?"

Genesis scoffed, "I was fine yesterday. I'll be fine tomorrow."

Angeal took in Genesis' reddened eyes, the ashy complexion that likened him to a much older man, and the dower mood that dampened his smirk into a frown. The red-haired commander had been playing chicken with his "inexplicable" on-and-off again disease for a long time, yet it had been recurring far more often as time passed. Dr. Hollander was still unable to determine the cause, and all they could do was treat symptoms until those inevitably became ineffective. It was no time for Genesis to be stubborn.

"Gen," Angeal pleaded, "For me."

Genesis made no move to respond.

"I'll tell you a secret if you go rest."

Genesis' head tilted forward, narrowed eyes meeting Angeal's in interest, "What kind of secret?"

"The kind that I would like to tell no one for as long as I live."

Genesis snapped his body forward, leaning into the desk eagerly, "What is it?"

"Promise first."

The red-haired man groaned, "Yes, Father. I will retire to my chamber for bedrest. Now tell me."

Angeal shifted in his chair before taking a deep breath, "When was the last time we broke up?"

Genesis took a moment to respond by counting time absentmindedly on his fingers, "One, one and a half? Yeah. A year and a half ago. Why?"

"I kissed someone last night."

"You…" Genesis began, likewise shifting in his seat, "You kissed someone? Who? When?"

"Last night."

"Well, yes. I know you said last night, but you spent most of it with us. The only time you were out of my sight was –"

Angeal pinched the bridge of his nose, "Yes. I know."

"The puppy. Really, Angeal?"

It was quiet between them. The length of the desk between them felt like the strain on their relationship, like their fickle-flame attempts to find solace in one another for the past few years. Like those summer nights in Banora, with the stars and the future ahead of them. All of it in the past.

"Are you two an item now?" Genesis broke the silence, casually crossing a leg and leaning back. The show of bravado made Angeal wonder if his friend had intended on trying their relationship once more, despite both admitting that it always lacked something.

"No. We had a briefing his morning and he was late, as usual, but extremely quiet. When I asked if what had happened last night was too much for him he looked confused and uncomfortable. He wanted nothing to do with me, Gen. He's pretending it never happened."

"Do you want that?" Genesis asked indifferently, brushing imaginary fluff off his pristine red coat.

Angeal pursed his lips, "I don't know. Does it matter? He obviously doesn't."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"So that you'll go to bed."

"No," Genesis rose to lean on the desk, arms crossed, "You didn't have to tell me this. I'm not an idiot, Angeal. You want my opinion or my permission, I'm sure."

The burly first scoffed, coming to his feet and rounding the barrier between them, "Of course I want your opinion. You're my most trusted friend. Permission is invalid. Zack doesn't want anything to do with me."

"He's in love with you and we both know it."

Angeal nursed his bottom lip in consideration. Was it possible for romantic affection to spring from a mentorship? More importantly, did he care for him in that way too?

"You're in love with him too."

Angeal opened his mouth to deny the claim, but Genesis help up a hand and continued, "But you're also probably still in love with me. And I've got a thing for you and Seph and maybe Cloud. And Seph wants me, as we both know, plus is near infatuated with Cloud. And Cloud seems to have a high-level bromance with Zack who chased the cat that killed the rat that lay in the house that Shinra built!"

Genesis rubbed his eyes, "In closing, the five of us are in one gigantic mess and while I'd love to sit down and write the next hit drama on it, I've got a cold that I need to recover from. Actually, here," Genesis pulled two tickets from his jacket pocket, "This is for tomorrow afternoon. I won't be able to go anymore, so invite your puppy and clear things up with him."

Angeal took them gingerly. The tickets were for a music and dining event hosted at a local café Genesis liked to haunt. A very upscale café.

"Gen, as nice as this is I'd rather not make a scene with Zack's eating habits. You know how he is. Thank you for the sentiment."

Genesis looked at him as if he'd gone insane, "Surely you're aware he only behaves like that for attention right? He knows how to eat normally. Before you disagree, answer me this: Have you ever actually taken him somewhere nice?"

"No, but-"

"Then how could you know?" Genesis coolly quipped, taking care to close Angeal's door slowly behind him as he did so. The speechless face on his childhood friend was more than enough to name his day successful.

* * *

"No! You can't come with me. That's final!"

"I don't understand what could be so important. The world is at stake! We need to go over the plan for tomorrow," Bast insisted, pacing alongside Cloud.

"I have things to do tonight and I want to go alone," He explained, resisting the rising urge to punt the ancient cat god across the library.

"Like what?!" Bast screeched, cutting off his pacing path _again_.

"He has to see his boooyyyyfrieeennd," Maya chimed from the blue couch, one of Genesis' magazines in hand. If Cloud wasn't so irritated he would've chuckled at the phrase coming out of a clean-cut, no nonsense yet handsome businessman she'd chosen to imitate after Bast's "ugly man" comment.

"Will you two quit it?!" Cloud demanded, picking up his backpack with overnight clothes and beer he'd purchased prior to this _never-ending_ meeting, "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Not yeeettt," Maya chimed girlishly behind him. Cloud rolled his eyes and left the library, hoping that Bast wouldn't follow him to Zack's place. They'd (somewhat) planned out how and when the esuna would be casted, and now all they could do was wait. Bast had promised to create an ample distraction. How? She wouldn't tell him. Whatever.

He did his best to cool down as he made his way to Zack's, unwilling to compromise their fragile friendship with a bad mood.

"Spike!" Zack greeted half a second after he knocked, "How are ya'?! Already called the pizza. Should be here in 15-ish minutes."

Cloud sputtered to get a word edgewise, used to hyper Zack but trying like hell just to say a greeting in return, "Nice to see you too. Can I put this in your fridge? It's warm and I doubt you'll want to drink it that way."

The older man agreed, taking the pack of beer from Cloud's hands and walking off into the kitchen, "I set out three movies and two games. You pick!"

Cloud grinned as he glanced over the choices on the beat-up coffee table, "Soul Caliber V? Do you wanna get your ass beat again, Fair?"

Zack wandered in with a bag of chips, "Oi, listen here Strife. You're gonna put that disc in and lament your imminent death. It's on, Chocobo."

"Lament my imminent death?" the blond scoffed, "someone's been hanging around Gen a little too much."

"He's a drama queen, but he's got some good lines," Zack chuckled, waiting for the stage to load.

"Zack."

"Hm?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Cloud deadpanned as the announcer spoke "Battle One. Fight!"

Zack got in a few combos before he noticed Cloud's character wasn't moving, "Spike you gotta at least try."

A couch pillow hit him square in the face, "Then give me a controller you moron!"

The night passed by fast, and as usual, the living room was a mess by the end of the second movie. Cloud sighed happily on the floor, full of pizza and maybe a little too much beer. Zack, in a similar position, gave a responding hum beside him.

"Whoa," he said suddenly, "Do you think it's gonna rain?"

Cloud lazily opened his eyes to look upside-down at Zack's window. Light storm clouds were moving in fast and he could feel a chill wind though the open pane, "Maybe…Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"What was up with you yesterday?"

Zack loudly inhaled before letting out an extremely helpful, "Uhh….I don't know."

Cloud scooted closer to him, "Liar."

The first opened his eyes to Cloud propped up beside him, hovering for an answer. He thought of one. "I'm just frustrated. As much as I love all of ya', I don't know how I feel about Seph wanting to date you or Genesis dragging you to lunch or you and Angeal having a garden or whatever."

"Are you jealous?" Cloud gently inquired.

Surprisingly, Zack didn't immediately say no and crack a joke to change the topic, which was what he wanted to do. He sat with the notion for a moment instead, "Huh. Maybe, yeah."

"Of who?"

"All of you, maybe?"

The light of the TV flickered as it switched to the movie's (thankfully) silent main menu. Cloud continued, "Why?"

"It's hard to say," Zack confessed, bright eyes scanning over Cloud's features intently, "But last night made it even harder." He propped himself up on an elbow too, matching Cloud and meeting his gaze, "I don't know why, but I can't stop thinking about that dream. You kissed me in it. Dumb right? Probably cause you were fake hitting on me that same day."

"Was it…good?" Cloud asked the most nonchalantly he could, picking at the beige carpet to keep his hand busy.

Zack clicked his tongue, "It was too quick to really be anything. It was barely a kiss, actually, but for some reason it was a big deal because it was _you_ , you know?"

Cloud stayed quiet, unsure what to say next.

"It's weird," Zack muttered, coming closer to Cloud, "I'm almost positive now that it couldn't have been you, but it still felt real. Uhg. Never drinking like that again. I can't believe I made up kissing you. You'd think I would've made it way better than a peck," he joked.

Maybe it was the beer, or maybe it was Maya's leering words, but something drove Cloud to take a leap for the second time that day. He shifted even closer to his friend, regretting his words before he even said them.

"Do you want to try it for comparison?"

Zack grinned at him until he realized it wasn't a joke, features slowly morphing into soft consideration, "Be careful there Spike. I might actually do it."

Cloud held his gaze, "Do it."

When their lips met, Zack knew without question that he had not kissed Cloud the night before. They parted, both tingling from the contact, before Zack guided Cloud into a laying position and cradled the back of his head, "Again?" He asked, slightly breathless.

"Again," Cloud affirmed, taking charge and dragging the first down to him. They kissed until Cloud decided to up the ante, pushing past the seam of Zack's lips and receiving a groan from the action.

"Wait," Zack breathed, pulling apart from Cloud a mere inch, "I need to know two things before we decide to keep going."

"What?," Cloud demanded impatiently, "And also, who says I was going to keep going?"

Zack chuckled at the mischievous tone, "Seriously, Spike."

"Okay, okay," Cloud relented, pulling back and sitting cross-legged on the floor, "What is it?"

"You told me to trust you a while back. You know, when you were lying about being places and going out at weird times?"

Cloud sighed a little, "Yeah. What about it?"

"I can't help but feel like something big is going on and you're right in the middle of it. I don't know what it is, and I understand you can't tell me, but can you at least promise me that 1. You aren't a terrorist and 2. You'll ask me for help if you need it?"

Cloud blinked at him, "You think I'm a terrorist?"

"No!" Zack made a odd noise that Cloud took as exasperation, "The others were worried you might be. They kept seeing a Cloud clone in town when you were actually here and some other weird stuff. I know you aren't, and I'm sure they know you aren't, but we're trained to be suspicious about everyfuckingthing, you know?"

"I'm not a terrorist, Zack," the cadet laughed, "I can barely shoot a gun. How the hell could I be a terrorist? You might want to tell the others that too. Not the gun part, please, but the not being a terrorist part would be cool."

Zack peered at him, "You're not mad?"

"I'm not mad," Cloud laughed. It was actually kind of a compliment. Even if he was a shitty cadet, he still managed to make the top of SOLDIER suspicious and cautious. Who else in his squad could boast that achievement?

"Okay, good. And you'll ask for my help if you need it?!"

Cloud rolled his eyes, "If I can."

"Okay," he smiled, leaning in for another kiss before halting, "wait, one more question!"

With a yell of frustration Cloud threw up his hands, "Literally so much time has passed since we stopped kissing that I don't know if I want to do it anymore!"

"Will you stop being dramatic? I was gonna ask if you wanna go out sometime this week? I have a mission at the end of it, so I might not see you for a while."

Cloud narrowed his eyes, "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"….Maybe a little?"

Zack made a noise of surprise as Cloud pressed up against him again, lips connecting as if they never left. He went with it for a few seconds before pulling back, "Wait does that mean yes?"

Cloud reached for the couch pillow and proceeded to beat him with it, "What do you think it means?!"

"Ahg! Fuck- okay!"

* * *

Angeal fidgeted with his silverware as he tried to quell the anxiety welling in his stomach. He'd taken Genesis' advice and invited Zack to a late lunch at the upscale café, and surprisingly, Zack had been excited. To avoid choosing inappropriate clothing Angeal had asked Zack what he was going to wear, to which Zack had responded, "Fancy clothes, but not too fancy. Duh."

Duh indeed. Angeal had chosen one of his nicer black blazers over a deep green button down. He hoped his ex-student would show up with something similar.

"Hey 'Geal," A familiar voice rang. He glanced up to see that Zack had worn a more casual version of his own outfit: A dark purple button down with a more flexible blazer, sleeves casually scrunched up to his elbows.

"Hello," Angeal responded while gesturing Zack to sit, "You clean up quite well, Soldier."

"Yes Sir, thank you Sir," Zack laughed, then turned his attention to their surroundings, "Nice place, huh?."

Angeal hummed in agreement, "Well, Genesis comes here often. No doubt the quality of the food will match the décor."

"Fancy but tasty?" Zack ventured a guess.

"Absolutely."

They'd just started looking at their menu when the waiter, a pleasant older gentleman with twinkling eyes and a huge mustache came by to read them the specials.

"Could we do the escargot appetizer? I'll also have a Midgar up with bourbon please."

Angeal took a second to register that Zack Fair, his puppy, had ordered snails and a complex cocktail instead of the fried calamari and local beer that was on the menu.

The waiter cleared his throat, "And you, Sir?"

"An old fashioned for me, thanks."

Angeal waited until the waiter was out of earshot before turning to Zack, "Did you just order snails?"

Zack blinked, "Yeah. I heard they're good here. Honestly, I don't think they'll be better than Evangeline further downtown, but it's worth trying."

He must've made an odd face after that. Zack clasped a hand on his mouth and barely smothered a guffaw, "Oh man. I got you good! Nah, I've never tried them before."

Angeal smiled, he should've known his ex-student would tease him a little. He responded, "I like it, but not as much as Seph does. Fun fact: Gen actually hates them."

The next hour flew by, drinks were refilled and food was brought by ninja waiters while he and Zack chatted about their friends enthusiastically. He waited for the right time to segway into an apology and explanation over their intimate moment, but the moment never came. He noticed the way his ex-student's eyes lit up whenever he ate something particularly delicious, at times putting his fork down to stare at Angeal in awe. Despite that, Zack was, dare he say it, quite graceful and charming throughout the entire meal.

As dessert landed in front of Zack (something called and opera cake, which had careful layers of espresso, chocolate, and crème), Angeal couldn't stop the rush of affection that sprang from his student's reaction.

"Angeal," Zack stagewhispered, "My cake has gold on top of it."

The older man chuckled, shoving down a flirtatious remark he wanted to say, before diving his fork into the cake with gusto, "If you don't like it, I'll eat it."

"NO ANGEAL!" Zack near-screeched, catching the attention of a couple of tables surrounding them. He cringed before furiously whispering, "You get your own!"

By the time he and Zack parted ways, belies full of good food and mouths sore from smiling too much, Angeal's quiet suspicion had been undeniably proven. His ex-student gave him a trademark Zack hug, but it lasted much too long and became way too gentle. He hadn't the strength to push away, and sure enough, Zack had suddenly backpedaled out of the embrace and turned to leave with a two-finger salute.

Angeal would've returned the gesture if he hadn't suddenly realized the whole night had felt like a date. He would've started walking home too if he hadn't realized he wanted more than a hug goodnight from his ex-student. Angeal began to absentmindedly wander down the street, going absolutely nowhere. He would've cared if he hadn't realized he was in love.

"Are you fucking kidding me," Zack asked the sky as he trudged into HQ, phone in hand and an urgent message open. The mission he'd just been briefed on had changed. The "problem nest" of creatures in the forest had gotten to one of the local children earlier that day. The village, in near-hysterics apparently, demanded someone be sent out immediately.

"Of all the luck," Zack sighed, sending the update to Angeal alongside a thank you for the evening out. He blew air through his lips while he waited for Cloud to answer his phone. By the second attempt, Zack had booked it to the blond's bunk. He had exactly 30 minutes to get his shit and get on the helicopter, but there was no way he'd leave without saying goodbye to his….boyfriend?

Zack's cheeks heated a bit at the thought, waltzing into the bunk and searching for spiky hair. Nothing.

He went to the library.

Nothing.

He went to Angeal's garden.

Nothing.

Just as he was about to turn tail and book it to the meetup point, he noticed a flash of gold in his peripheral vision. Cloud was in one of the outdoor courtyards, and he was talking to Kunsel?

Zack pushed open the doors, ready to yell and get his chocobo's attention, when he noticed Cloud giving Kunsel materia (how did Cloud have materia?!) and keel on the grass to support the….unconcious body on the ground.

He was about to rush over and offer assistance when Kunsel cast the spell, white tendrils weaving around the unconscious cadet's body. Wait, was the body changing? Kunsel yelled in surprise, and Zack didn't know what to do as a black cat propelled itself into the second class' face. When it landed, he noticed it had an empty potion vial cradled in its mouth. Kunsel fell to the ground.

"What the hell did you do?!" Cloud screeched in alarm…at the cat? Zack stared blankly at the body of the once unconscious cadet, who had transformed into a small tan girl with black hair as long as she was tall. His eyes then shifted to his unconscious friend.

"Sleeping potion. He's fine. It'll wear off in a couple of hours," someone said. Zack frowned as he noticed the girl hadn't said a word, yet the voice had been feminine. There was no one else in the courtyard. Where had the voice come from?

"A couple of hours," a pissed off Cloud repeated, "great! How the hell am I going to explain this to him when he wakes up?"

"Think of something!" The voice sassed. Zack followed Cloud's line of sight to the angry-looking cat.

"No fucking way," the first muttered under his breath.

"I can't pull all the weight on this team!" THE CAT SAID.

Zack felt his heart racing and tried hard to calm his mind down. Had he drank too much again? Was the gold on that cake he ate actually a drug?

"Who cares!" the human girl chimed, "I'm finally me again! Thank you thank you thank you Cloud! You're the best human a goddess could ask for!"

Zack's head was a mess of question marks as he diverted his attention. How? Who? Fucking HOW? He closed his eyes to gather his thoughts for exactly 3 seconds before looking back up.

They were gone. The cat, Cloud, the girl, and the unconscious Kunsel. How the fuck had they done that?

He dug the palms of his hands into his eyes, hoping they'd reappear, before giving up looking at this phone.

He had two minutes to get to the meetup point.

Part of him wanted to not show up at all – to scour every knook and cranny of HQ until he found Cloud and the cat the made sure Kunsel wasn't fucking dead – but part of him also knew doing so would cause suspicion from all kinds of people. Especially Angeal, who'd want an explanation for blowing off an urgent call to the field. He couldn't risk putting Cloud in the spotlight.

He boarded the helicopter three minutes later.

"I'd fucking give anything not to be leaving right now," Zack complained to Reno, who'd been tasked with the helicopter for the first time ("I won't crash, yo!").

"I bet," Reno laughed, "Don't worry, I'll make the ride there…interesting."

"Oh god please don't," Zack pleaded, "I've had a hard night already."

Reno glanced back curiously, "What? Strife keeping shit from you again?"

Zack sighed, "I guess. There is one thing I found out today, though."

"What's that?"

"He's definitely not a terrorist."

* * *

A/N: This chapter almost made me discontinue the story, but I have perservered! I didn't intend to go this long without updating, so apologies for that. Life happens. Please let me know if any of you out there in the internet world still want to read more. I'll do my absolute best to get these updates out faster and in better quality!

Love you all,

RMB


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the crack that is this story.

Enjoy this chapter with a cold beverage to distract yourself from the accidental hiatus that is my life. :D

(Srsly though, you are all fantastic for continuing to read! Enjoy!)

* * *

Sephiroth stared blankly at the stack of papers on his desk. Busywork. Monotony. It was truly a waste of his intellect and time. The sun was beginning to wane downward, casting an awful glare on his computer screen and accentuating the random fingermarks and dust particles that, Sephiroth swore, he'd cleaned off just yesterday. He read the next mission summary in vague interest while twirling a pen, hoping that Zack would burst into his office any minute and free him of the abject boredom he was assigned to.

A shrill ringing punctured the room . Sephiroth quirked a silver brow and flipped open his PHS in distaste, "What?"

"Not even a hello?" Angeal's amused voice came through clear and crisp.

The general smirked and leaned back in his leather chair, "Not for you, no."

"Ah, and who gets the privilege of an actual greeting?"

Sephiroth was going to respond in similar jest when he heard a loud, painful sounding cough echo through Angeal's line - too high pitch to be the gruff commander.

"Genesis?" Sephiroth asked, distraught by the sudden flood of concern that coursed through him.

"Genesis." Angeal answered with a sigh. Sephiroth heard some softer murmurs, Angeal coaxing Genesis to lie back down, encouraging the stubborn man to drink some hot tea, Genesis's usually smooth voice scratchy and rough with effort.

"It started a few days ago," Angeal near whispered as Sephiroth heard a door shut, "But he wouldn't listen to me. It obviously got worse."

"This is occurring more often," Sephiroth frowned, "What happens when he no longer recovers?"

"I think we both know," Angeal responded.

A beat of uneasy silence passed between them. Their scientists had never been "friends" with any of them, nor the remotest bit trustworthy, but the general couldn't help but consider seeking Hojo out for assistance. Sephiroth knew how to kill 50 men in mere seconds, could instill cowering fear in an entire nation, could bring down the world if he wanted to.

But none of that would save Genesis.

"Come over," Angeal suggested, "We'll watch something and let him know we're here till he's better again."

"He hates people seeing him in a weakened state," Sephiroth responded.

"We aren't just people Seph," Angeal gently chided, "You know that."

The phone clicked as Sephiroth flipped it closed. He stared through the black carpet below him in something near to thoughtlessness. When he looked back to his computer screen the light had shifted enough to grant him back the clean surface he thought he had. The stack of paperwork still sat expectantly beside it. In a fit of worry and indignation he turned off his computer, recapped his pen, and gathered his things.

"Sir? Is everything okay?" His secretary asked in alarm as he strode past.

"No," he responded curtly.

"But Sir," Avin pleaded, "you still have another two hours until the shift ends. If the board finds out-"

"They may pry to their liking," Sephiroth glared, "But I go where I want."

The finality of the elevator doors screeching closed sounded like bells of freedom. He watched the floors change in peace before it stopped at a number that wasn't his. He prepared a frown of distaste for whomever he'd have to share the space with, but the floor was empty when the doors opened.

Just as they were closing again Sephiroth spotted a black animal darting across the way, followed by a young woman carrying an unconscious Second at rapid speed. Then, through the now two inch crack between the sheets of metal, he saw Cloud Strife following the strange parade.

The elevator started up again as Sephiroth felt his eye twitch. Indecision coursed through him before manifesting in pushing the call button with too much force.

"Uh, hello?" A worker's voice rang from the speaker, "Can I help you?"

"I wish to go back down," Sephiroth requested.

"Uh," The worker stuttered, "You have to wait until the last number pushed is reached, then you can go to a lower number-"

"It is imperative that I return to the floor I was just on."

"We can't-"

"I am the general!" Sephiroth snarled, "Either you negate this machinery's need to climb to the higher floors or I will cut it down."

The elevator pinged in response, his button vanishing from the queue. Sephiroth smoothed his jacket and pressed the button to the lower floor.

The speaker crackled, "Sir?"

"Yes." Sephiroth responded, anxious to catch up to Cloud.

"…Do you take criticism?" The young attendant ventured uncertainly.

The elevator pinged in arrival.

"No," He answered, taking off as soon as the doors had opened enough. The empty elevator still held the low static of the active speaker. The attendant's voice rang out as he spoke to his co-worker, "Why didn't he just get off and take another elevator down?"

* * *

"Are you sure no one saw us?" Cloud asked Bast as he bent to catch his breath.

"No," Bast scoffed, "We just ran though half of the building!"

Maya gingerly laid Kunsel down on a sofa, "Are you sure this is a good place to _stay_?"

"No," Bast screeched, "But we're in a military facility with next-to-no privacy. What do you expect?"

Cloud looked Kunsel over in concern, "Are you sure he'll wake up?"

"It was a sleeping potion. He isn't going to die."

Cloud rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes and sat across from Kunsel's prone body. All things considered, it wasn't a bad spot to have picked. Almost every floor had a corner lobby where staff could take a breather, but this floor had recently been retrofitted and moved its offices who knows where.

"Now," Cloud sighed, "We just have to think of a reason to give Kunsel when he wakes up."

Maya made a thoughtful sound, "You could tell him that a terrible monster attacked him and we brought him up here for safety."

"Why would we bring him here instead of the medical ward?"

Maya squinted her eyes, "…it's full?"

Cloud groaned.

"Relax. We tell him something attacked him and inflicted confusion, which made him run around the building like a moron. When it finally wore off you found him passed out here. Simple," Bast spoke, then turned to lick her arms.

"Simple?" Cloud repeated, "Simple? How do we explain the unconscious cadet not being here?"

"Medical ward!" Maya cheered, "It's not full anymore!"

"You aren't helping, Maya!" Cloud growled, trying to piece together the last chain of events to with a more probable explanation. He raked his brain for excuses that couldn't be disproved with security camera evidence.

 _Security cameras_.

"Shit," Cloud spat, "Shit, shit, shit"

"Should I be worried about your behavior?" A smooth, familiar voice cut into the room.

Cloud jerked his head up to see General Sephiroth glancing over Kunsel, " _shit."_ Solider enhancements were the worst. He liked his lips and discreetly eyed his surroundings once more. No one else appeared around the corner, and Maya and Bast had mysteriously vanished.

"Uh," Cloud belatedly responded as the general turned toward him.

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow as the silence between them grew beyond social convention. Cloud raked his brain explanations, excuses, anything that might eliminate the precarious situation before the general became too suspicious.

"Where are your other friends? Last I checked there was a cat and a little girl running behind you. I do not believe such companions are allowed within the confines of this building."

"Ah!" Cloud said a little too eagerly, "Yes, I don't know them but I knew they weren't supposed to be here. I was worried about Kunsel and….confused about the girl being able to carry him. Does Professor Hojo have a weird experiment going on that I don't know about?"

The general snarled at the mention of the name, "I'm sorry to say that his 'experiments' are confidential even to me. I know not the details of his misdeeds, on me nor anyone else."

Cloud frowned in concern, "What do you mean, not even yourself? Does he…does he just do whatever he wants to you-"

"Cadet Strife," Sephiroth interrupted, "I have not sought you out to divulge my secrets nor the confidential nature of the SOLDIER program."

Cloud furrowed his eyebrows and look a step back, disliking the sudden glint of aggression in the general's eyes, "I'm sorry-"

"I have no need for your apologies," The taller man stepped closer, and Cloud swore that Sephiroth had spontaneously grown a couple of inches. The cadet involuntarily took another step back.

"You have been at the center of conflict for months, creating issues you cannot explain, solutions that, I'm sure, you think are quite inventive and convincing. Did you honestly believe I wasn't aware of your…activities?"

Cloud opened his mouth to speak, and abruptly closed it when Sephiroth gave a pointed stare. His heart began to beat a little faster, and desperately he tried to picture the silver-haired man who'd attempted to "court" him, spend time with him, was nice to him. The heels of Cloud's shoes met the wall, and the movement was jarring enough to knock those memories aside.

He'd made a mistake.

"You made a mistake," Sephiroth echoed, "And you've been careless."

Cloud silently swallowed his fear, tilting his head up to see the version of Sephiroth he thought only existed in stories. The general's eyes were eerily green, his posture infinitely predatory and irate. Cloud reached his hand back to brace the wall in mock-stability. How much could Sephiroth really know?

"What was my mistake?" Cloud struggled out, throat suddenly dry and scratchy.

The answering chuckle was dark and trickled down Cloud's back like ice, "You have been seen coming in and out of headquarters to meet untraceable allies. You lie to Fair consistently about your location and affairs. You've somehow managed to convince your Turk friend, who I know you've been in contact with for one and a half years, to join your cause in secrecy,"

It took every single ounce of willpower for Cloud not to convey his confusion. How did the general know Reno? Had he been followed? Sephiroth's voice cut though his musings immediately.

"You purposely spend your free time in spaces that do not have security technology. The roof. Angeal's garden. The library. Tell me, why are summons and mythological deities integral to your operation?"

Cloud wanted to respond, to defend his actions and bury Sephiroth's suspicions for good. Because really, all the general had on him was his odd choices in hang out spots and people outside HQ. He huffed and pried for more proof of Sephiroth's knowledge.

"That doesn't mean anything," Cloud carefully articulated.

Sephiroth clenched his jaw in disdain, "Really? How about your contacts?"

"What contacts?" Cloud drawled.

Sephiroth came closer with a smirk that made Cloud slightly regret saying anything. If he was trying to intimidate him, it wouldn't work. The cadet balled his fists against the wall, anchoring down as the general came to whisper choice words into his ear.

"Carpo. Glybie. Maya."

Cloud registered a distant dread behind his shock. Sephiroth's expression turned equal parts pleased and dangerous at the reaction.

"Did you honestly think I didn't know every single movement of every person here? I am a general, Strife. If you wanted to play games, you should not have joined my army."

The taller man suddenly stepped back, taking in the apprehensive visage of Cloud in interest.

"Y-you know names, sure. But you don't anything else, do you?" Cloud grit out.

Please, please don't know anything else, Cloud chanted in his head. Sephiroth apathetically began to round the corner next to Cloud, seemingly placated by the stutter in Cloud's voice.

"Goodnight, Cloud."

Cloud continued to lean against the wall as the general disappeared from view, feeling paralyzed and nauseous. The footsteps ceased and a beep chimed. Cloud peered around the corner to validate that he was truly, finally alone.

Only to catch the last of Sephiroth disappearing from view, the elevator doors not quite obscuring knowing eyes from reaching his own.

Cloud slid down the wall and buried his head in his hands.

He was so fucking screwed.

* * *

"How much does he know."

"I. Just. Told. You." Cloud yelled, "I have no idea!"

Maya worriedly glanced between Cloud and Bast, who'd been arguing since they'd reconvened at the rooftop, "Hey, maybe we should all calm-"

"I will not," Cloud bit, "Not until you both get out of my life!"

Flashes of Sephiroth's smirk, his aggressive posture and piercing eyes flew through the blond's brain like wildfire. He had no recollection of uttering the names Carpo, Glybie, and Maya to anyone. How? How could he have known this and about Reno?

Maya flinched at the blatant anger, "I'm sorry, Cloud. I didn't mean-"

"Don't apologize," Bast interrupted, "This is his job. He's throwing a fit over nothing."

Even a little bit of gratitude would've gone a long way. Cloud scoffed and thought of Glybie's lesson -giving. He'd bet money that Bast never met that guy before.

"It's not my job. I don't need your help. You need mine," he emphasized, glaring at the cat heatedly.

"Really?" Bast drawled, as if Cloud had been left out of a joke.

Maya sighed, "C'mon, Bast. He's so young and he doesn't know-"

"Oh I think he knows," She hefted herself into a standing position, flickering her tail back and forth. Even though Cloud was 5 feet taller, he got the sense that she was looking down on him.

Bast ignored Maya's fervent pleas to stay, indirectly goading Cloud as she left, "And if he doesn't know, he's going to soon."

The girl sighed, absentmindedly combing her hair with her hands, "Cloud, I know you're frustrated. It's unfair, that you have to do all this for us…but helping us will help you, too."

The cadet rolled his shoulders back to alleviate pent-up tension, "I know, that crazy ghost thing that no one has bothered to tell me about in full. Do you think you could give me that information?"

Maya grimaced, "I'm sorry. I don't know much about it. I do have something that you might want anyway? As a thanks?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes as Maya came a little closer to him, and a little closer, and a little closer. You'd think he was a wild behemoth, the way Maya was staring at him.

"Will you just come over here?!" he roared.

Maya blanched and scampered over, extending her palm to Cloud uncertainly, "I'm not sure if you're gonna like it. It's not really for you, per say."

Cloud frowned and carefully picked up the clear vial, fingering the wooden stopper at the top, "What is it?"

"Well, your friend is sick. Like realllly sick. A sick that your medicine isn't going to be able to cure."

Cloud searched his brain for anyone he knew that was currently sick, coming up with absolutely nothing. Rikku had seemed fine last he saw, and he didn't know if he could call Kunsel or anyone else a friend. I mean, there was that party and they kind of bonded but-

"CLOUD. Can you listen to me for one full minute, please?"

Maya glared at him with her hands on her hips, "It took me a really long time to make this. I went out of my way, you know."

Cloud faltered, "S-sorry. Wait, who is sick?"

The goddess's face melted into something akin to sympathy, "You don't know? That man you like to read with. With the red hair?"

"Genesis is sick?" Cloud breathed, "He's a soldier; he can't get sick."

Maya gave him a little smile, "Yes, they can. He did. I don't understand the circumstances myself, but I knew he needed something before it worsened."

"How…How do you even know him? Have you been spying on me?!"

Maya glared, "Do you want the magic potion or not?!"

Cloud twisted his mouth, "I guess. Does he need to drink it? All of it?"

"Not all of it," Maya considered, wringing her hands, "but half would be good. I made enough for you to give to your other friend. The big one that likes flowers."

Cloud glanced up, "He's sick too?" Shouldn't he have heard about all this?

Maya licked her lips, "No. Not yet."

A beat of silence passed through them. Cloud took the time to turn the vial over in his hands, wondering how long Genesis had been sick and sick with what and why had no one told him?

He flinched backwards as he felt lips press against his cheek, looking wide-eyed at a transparent Maya. She smiled, "Bye Cloud."

The blond squawked and hastily, confusedly, yelled, "B-bye I guess. Thanks for the water! Wait what if I need more of it?!"

Maya frowned, "You won't. But if you're curious, I got a girl under the plate to help me make it. She's usually in the church!"

Cloud furrowed his eyebrows and watched the last lights of Maya dissipate into thin air. The vial in his hand felt heavy. How was he supposed to drug two first class soldiers without them knowing?

Actually, scratch that. He'd make sure they were actually sick first.

* * *

"Eyyy it's your boy, Zack. Don't leave a message cuz I won't listen to it. Text me. Seriously, Angeal." BEEP.

Cloud hung up the phone for the third time and groaned. Zack only ever had his phone turned off for three reasons:

Dead battery and misplaced charger.

Confidential mission.

Had it confiscated by someone in a meeting.

Typically, meetings didn't last four hours. Also, when Zack lost his charger for too long he'd usually beg some poor soul to "lend" theirs (translation: steal it for an indeterminate amount of time). Which meant…

"Eyyy" the voicemail recited as Cloud rolled his eyes into the back of his head, "it's your boy, Za-"

Zack's mission had probably been moved up to today (which was kinda unfair, because they just got together, but fine whatever). There went his easy connection to Angeal and Genesis. Cloud mulled over his options, dropping his PHS onto his unmade bed and instead fingering the vial in his pocket. How could he contact them without their numbers?

One quick trip to a crazy expensive tea place and a rapid costume change later found Cloud at the office of Genesis Rhapsodos. He'd heard rumors about Genesis's assistant, some involving an underground crime ring and some involving porn, but as approached the desk he felt like they had to be made up.

"Can I help you?" The blonde woman asked, eyes never straying from the paperwork stacked a hand high between them.

"Yeah," Cloud cleared his throat, "I heard that Genesis wasn't feeling well and I brought something for him."

The woman (Giselle, Cloud read silently from the nameplate) slowly closed the yellow folder and patted it absentmindedly, eyes trailing Cloud up and down. The cadet mentally ran over his outfit, hoping he didn't look like a slob.

"You're here to see Mr. Rhapsodos." She asserted, rather than questioned.

"Yes, I-"

"No, you're not." Giselle smiled, "Because I make all of Mr. Rhapsodos's meetings and you weren't any of them."

Cloud wanted to push her head through a wall, "You don't even know my name."

"Don't need it," She chirped, turning to the computer and beginning to type. Cloud waited for her to say something else. A minute passed. The blond glanced back up at the clock. Two minutes passed. Giselle continued to type. Cloud continued to wait.

"Can you at least-" Cloud broke, irritated and slightly crumpling the tea box in his hand.

"Oh," Giselle started, hand to her heart in mock alarm, "I didn't know you were still here."

"Yes, you did."

"Yes, I did."

Cloud made a little sound that may have been the start of a yell. Instead he smiled back at her and thought of the things he liked: Zack. Swords. Motorcycles. Wolves. Wolves tearing Giselle apart while he skewers her with a giant sword stored in a motorcycle. Oh, and Zack is there and he's very impressed.

"Mr. Rhapsodos is not in his office. He's taking a personal day," Giselle's voice, tired and 100% done, knocks him out of his fantasy.

"Yeah, I know he's sick," Cloud begins, "But I was hoping you could contact him for me-"

"Mr. Rhapsodos isn't sick," Giselle rolls her eyes, "He's a first class solider. They don't get sick Mr.." She waves a hand flippantly, "whatever."

"But he is sick. And you and I both know it."

Giselle finally, finally turns to him and makes eye contact, "Who are you and what do you want?"

Cloud straightens his back, "I'm Cadet Cloud Strife. I know Commander Rhapsodos personally, and our mutual friend, _First Class Zack Fair_ , told me he was sick. Zack Fair was called away to a mission ahead of time, so he asked me to give Commander Rhapsodos this tea in his stead. I also wanted to see him, just to make sure he was okay."

He'd recited this in line at the café, knowing he couldn't lie about his identity and that he had to use Zack to authenticate his importance. Since Zack was called away (hopefully), the crimelord/porn actress assistant wouldn't be able to contact him. It was a good plan.

"You can call the commander to confirm, if you think I'm lying. He'll know my name."

Giselle gave him a considering look, "If you're so close to him, why can't you call him yourself?"

"I'm a cadet," Cloud deadpanned, "My PHS gets taken by bunk mates every other week, and my contacts are spammed inappropriate pictures that, I still pray, are taken from the internet and not in person."

Lies. Cloud punched a guy last time he tried to take his PHS.

"Besides, we both know Mr. Rhapsodos," Cloud came a little closer, as if he had information he wanted to keep between them, "He's slow to trust, and that's okay. Understandable, actually, given how insane his fan club is. I never asked for his number, and he never gave it to me."

Giselle pursed her lips and ran a hand through her hair before picking up the phone and speed dialing a number.

"Yes, Lazard. It's Giselle calling from Mr. Rhapsodos's office. Um-hmm. I need to know if First Class Zack Fair is still in HQ."

When Giselle's inquisitive eyes met his Cloud quirked a brow, hoping his indifference came across as half as good as the general's. Automatically, his mind stayed to the uncharacteristic confrontation the night prior. The secretary hung up the call, glaring at him while speed dialing another number. Cloud tries not to listen, fully aware of the trouble he'd get into if they found out that Zack hadn't sent him.

"Well," the blonde woman huffed hanging up the phone unhappily, "your story checks out. Mr. Rhapsodos wants you to see him immediately. His living quarters are on the top floors and there's a directory in the elevator. Take this," she hands him a keycard from the desk drawer, "It'll give you access to both the elevator and his quarters. He'll take it back from you when you leave."

Cloud extended his hand to grasp the keycard numbly. He could get away with so much shit with this-

"And don't get any ideas. I'm tracking your every move through that card. If you don't end up with Mr. Rhapsodos, I will know and call in security to have you escorted back to wherever you came from."

Cloud smiled and nodded, "Thank you for all your assistance, Giselle. We'll probably be seeing a lot more of eachother."

Giselle glared, "Let's not."

* * *

When Angeal answered the door Cloud could hear the tail end of an argument. The burly first had his head half-turned behind him, exasperation evident in the creases of his eyes and the pressed frown of lips.

"Cloud, come in," Angeal gestured, giving him a strained smile, "Genesis is having an off day, but I heard that you have something for him? Sorry to trouble you. I'll take it and you can be on your way."

The cadet internally blanked, realizing for the first time that he'd stupidly relied on Angeal's hospitality to let him stick around, drink some of the tea, maybe cure them both of some weird disease thing-

"Cloud?" Angeal asked, coming closer and placing a hand on the blond's forehead, "You look upset and a little out of it. Are you sick?"

The solution came together.

"Uh, a little," Cloud glanced up at Angeal, "I think it's more of a stress thing. The exams are coming up, you know."

"Ah," Angeal moved his hand to Cloud's shoulder, clasping it comfortingly, "We've all been there. Just try to relax."

When had Angeal gotten so close to him? Cloud had to slightly incline his neck to meet the first's gaze. The proximity took him back to their days in the garden. Digging and pulling side by side. Laughing at dirt marks on eachother's faces and thumbing it away gently and slowly. Angeal talking to him, _"I think your eyes are pretty too, Cloud."_

Angeal chuckled, drawing him out of his thoughts, and pointedly moved back a step, "Are you alright, Cloud?"

Cloud swallowed, awkwardly holding up the box in his hand, "I have this tea from the place Genesis likes, and it's supposed to help with calming down and stress and stuff. I heard he wasn't feeling well and I was hoping we could all have some together?"

Angeal took the box gingerly, "That's very nice of you Cloud, but Gen doesn't like company when he's feeling this way. I'll tell you what, I'll take the tea to Gen and we can enjoy ours here in the living room. Just let me check on him and I'll start making the tea-"

"Oh no, that's okay," Cloud interrupted, taking the tea box back perhaps too enthusiastically, "I'll make it for us all. The barista gave me some tips."

Angeal gave him a look between suspicious and amused before settling on a crooked smile, "All right. I won't be long."

Cloud gave him an answering smile before booking it to the kitchen, passing a mirror along the way and grimacing at the blush that he prayed hadn't been there the whole time.

He'd had tea at Genesis's place enough times to know the cabinet and drawers that held the teapot and cups. Spotting the electric water kettle that Gen refused to use ("It makes everything taste like plastic"), Cloud shrugged and filled it. He had, at most, 2 minutes before Angeal came back.

Cloud heard soft talking from the bedroom, way too quiet for him to suss out, but at least it confirmed that Genesis was awake and able to drink the tea. He hurriedly poured a ton of loose leaf in the teapot strainer, wishing Maya had told him if the potion had a taste and hoping it didn't. Angeal's voice became louder, and damn it, he was coming to the kitchen.

The cadet considered dumping the entire contents of the vial in the teapot, but Maya had also never said that it was safe for him to consume, just Angeal and Genesis.

"Did you find everything alright?" Angeal asked, peaking outside the archway.

"Uh, yeah!" Cloud started, "The tea's steeping, so it'll be another minute or two."

"Ah," Angeal disappeared back into the living room, "I'll find us music to listen to. Genesis is upset that he can't come out to join us, but he expressed interest in a concerto or two."

"Oh, did he?" Cloud absentmindedly responded, taking the chance to pour the tea into three cups. Angeal may have said something else, but Cloud didn't hear it. He uncorked the vial and, after roughly .2 seconds of consideration, put half in Genesis's cup and the other in Angeal's.

The vial safely in his pocket and all evidence rid, Cloud sighed and leaned heavily on the counter. Hopefully there wouldn't be a negative reaction to the potion, because he'd be sent to prison immediately or die a terrible death in Hojo's torture chamber. Made an example of. Oh god Zack would hate him forever-

A finger hooked under his chin and tugged upward. Angeal's eyes bored into him for the second time, flickering back and forth rapidly.

"Angeal?" Cloud asked quietly.

"Is it ready?" He responded, gesturing to the teacups. Apparently he'd been trying to get Cloud's attention for some time.

"Oh," Cloud leaned away, carefully taking the two spiked cups and handing them to Angeal.

Angeal gave him a weird smile before silently taking the tea to Genesis's room. Cloud took his cup and bit his lip, wondering if the first had caught on to his anxiety. More murmuring came from Genesis's room, and Cloud made his way into the living room, dimly lit by the cloudy day.

The couch was plush and welcome when Cloud collapsed onto it, and even though he should've still been nervous over the past 10 minutes, Cloud found the tea he'd been sipping and the low music to be relaxing enough to unclench his jaw.

He'd always liked Gen's place.

"It's good," Angeal's voice came from nowhere.

Cloud opened his eyes (when had he closed them?) in time to see Angeal sit across the way with a sigh.

Angeal smiled at him, "The tea. The tea is good. Gen agreed."

Cloud smiled back lazily, "It should be. That might be the most expensive thing I've ever bought in my life."

"Hm. Don't tell Seph that."

The cadet felt his face drop at the name, which he skillfully hid by sipping tea and closing his eyes. When he opened them, Angeal was staring.

"Cloud, is there something you need to tell me?"

Angeal placed his teacup on the coffee table between them, leaning forward in a way that made Cloud feel both safe and fearful. Is there something he needed to tell him? How about the deities he'd been assisting the past year, or the dark entity that might want to kill him? Or confrontation he'd had with Sephiroth? Did he know that Zack was dating him, or that Cloud liked his mentor and his best friends in a way that he absolutely shouldn't? Did he know he may have just been poisoned/cured? That Genesis was really sick and he might be too?

Angeal was still staring at him.

And Cloud didn't know what to say.

All he knew was that the tea hadn't done its job, because Cloud felt a wave of panic and helplessness and his hands were shaking and he was going to spill the tea if he didn't stop freaking out for no reason-

A hand grasped his, gently prying the teacup out of his grasp. Cloud silently watched as it placed the cup on the table, returning to his face, resting on his cheek and turning him toward its owner. Part of Cloud calmed down enough to register that Angeal had joined him on the couch, and was looking at him the same way he'd been looking at Cloud all night. Angeal was worried.

"Cloud, I need you to calm down and tell me what's wrong. Don't say it's nothing. I've known you long enough to at least see that."

He had to say something. Anything. He could make it up.

"Sephiroth is mad at me and I don't know why."

That wasn't making it up, but okay.

Angeal's eyebrows furrowed, "He's mad at you? I'm sure that isn't true. He can come off a bit cold but-"

"He slammed me against a wall and interrogated me."

The silence between them made the music playing louder, a piece Cloud didn't recognize. Angeal inhaled as a violin joined the rest of the strings, and the stupid music was so tense that Cloud wanted to just confess everything and get it over with. But as Angeal's mouth opened and closed in an attempt to console him or reorient the situation, Cloud knew that was not a viable option.

"He thinks I'm a terrorist or something," Cloud added.

Angeal finally got his mouth working, "He's never been the best at expressing his emotions, Cloud. It could be that he was having a bad day and took it out on you. I'm sorry."

The cadet had nothing to say to that. General Sephiroth was best known for his calm precision and self-discipline. What had transpired was purposeful and absolutely nothing to do with a bad day at the office.

"It's just," Angeal began thinking aloud, "I recall him saying that he enjoyed your company. Even if he were suspicious of you for any reason, I can't work out why he'd approach you so aggressively. Is there anything he said he knew that you'd kept quiet?"

"Yeah," Cloud ceded, "He knew the names of some of my friends off base, which was weird."

"Have you told Zack about any of this?"

Cloud blinked, "No, I couldn't. This happened last night and Zack was called away before that."

"Ah," Angeal nodded, "While I'm good at talking Seph down, Zack is very good at figuring out with his actions mean. Until then, perhaps the best course of action would be to avoid one-on-one interactions. I'll try talking to him."

Cloud half-smiled, "thanks."

"That's not everything, is it?" Angeal asked, leaning toward him, "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your distress is clearly more than just Sephiroth. Zack told me, 'If he relaxes his shoulders after he tells you, then that's the only problem. Otherwise, you have to keep pushing."

Cloud stared at Angeal in horror, "He told you that?! It isn't true!"

Angeal laughed, "Maybe it isn't true, but it tells me that you have a history of pushing worries down until they explode. Just because Gen's not feeling well doesn't mean you get to take over for him. Please tell me, what's bothering you?"

Cloud massaged his temples with the heels of his hands, "It's not a big deal. Stupid, really."

Angeal's hand grabbed one of his and pulled it into his lap. Cloud's mind reeled for a second, unsure if it was a tactic to get his attention or a subtle flirtation.

"Just tell me. You'll feel better and I won't tell anyone."

Angeal's thumb grazed Cloud's palm rhythmically. Once again the cadet was unsure how they'd gotten so close. His left leg had been bent neatly in front of him, foot hanging off the edge. Now it was touching Angeal's, who'd mirrored his position at some point in the conversation. The closeness reminded him again of their time together. Angeal's booming laugh. His sly way of teasing.

"Cloud," Angeal softly called, hand now firmly encasing his own.

"I'm dating Zack now," Cloud said. He had no idea why.

Angeal's face looked pained for a split second before morphing into happiness, "Congratulations! Both of you-"

"There's a problem," Cloud interrupted, tilting his head down so that Angeal couldn't see his expression. His heart was going haywire, and his head was telling him not to say it, don't say it Strife –

"IthinkImaybelikeyoutoo."

"You think?" Angeal asked after a beat of silence, voice neutral, "Look at me, Cloud."

Cloud did.

Angeal smoothed back the spikes that had fallen in front of his face before trailing his fingers down the blond's cheek. The first came closer, giving Cloud ample time to pull away.

But Cloud was thinking of Angeal's kindness toward the other cadets, and his dedication to being honorable that made him straight up sound like a gaia-damned knight in shining armor. An inch away from his lips, Cloud was thinking about Angeal's Christmas present and his tenderness with plants -the way he nurtured things just as well as he could destroy them.

Cloud inhaled and met Angeal's lips, expecting something soft and simple and short.

It was not.

Angeal pulled him into his lap, licking at Cloud's lips for entrance. The blond gave it, rising up a little to hover over the burly first and twist his hand in black, soft hair. Angeal's lips left his and trailed down the pale neck in front of him, leaving pink marks in their wake. Cloud gasped as Angeal bit at his collarbone, head lolling back in overload.

"I swear to Bahamut Angeal if you are out there making out with Cloud fucking Strife while I am sick in the next room-"

Cloud detached from Angeal and got off the couch so fast that Angeal was left staring confused at the empty space in front of him.

"-doesn't mean you two can just do whatever you want! I have ears! My ears have not fallen off!"

Angeal stood up, "I'm so sorry Cloud. I-"

"At least do it in here so I can see! So fucking rude-"

Cloud squeaked, "It'sfinegoodbye."

He hightailed it out the door and didn't stop running until he was well outside HQ. Because, what the fuck.

What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck.

* * *

AN: You are all amazing and I hope this was satisfactory!

Leave a comment below if you have any hopes, fears, dreams, or saw grammatical issues you'd like to point out to me. The first three things do not have to be related to this story. Have a magical rest of your week. 3

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